TEHRAN – The navy of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Sunday announced that two "violating" oil tankers, including a supertanker, suffered explosions and were stopped after hitting naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz within the preceding hours.

In a statement published on the IRGC's official news outlet Sepah News, the navy said the tankers were transiting the "unauthorized" route in the strait.

It added the supertanker "suffered a massive explosion and is burning", stressing that both vessels had turned off their navigation and identification systems.

Also on Sunday, spokesman for the IRGC Hossein Mohebbi said Iranian forces have determined a vast battlefield to inflict damage on the "enemy" and achieve complete deterrence, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency

Mohebbi said at a conference in Iran's southeastern Kerman province that Iranian forces are more prepared than ever "to respond decisively to the enemy".

He pointed to recent orders from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei to senior military commanders, saying the leader's guidelines "opened a new chapter of war".

Mohebbi highlighted Khamenei's emphasis that "there is no geographical limitation in the war with the United States," saying the IRGC has placed on its agenda identifying new enemy targets and planning operations in new geographical regions.