TEHRAN — The navy of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced Wednesday that two "violating" oil tankers that sought to exit the Strait of Hormuz through the "unauthorized and high-risk" route the previous night exploded after hitting mines.

The vessels caught fire following the massive blasts and were left burning despite efforts by the US Army's "accomplices" to contain the blaze, the navy said in a statement on the IRGC's official news outlet Sepah News.

It added the oil tankers had turned off their navigation and identification systems and were trying to transit the "unauthorized" route with the "aggressive" US Army's support and under a US Army officer's guidance.

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Separately, Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority, the body responsible for maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, announced in a post on social media platform X on Wednesday that "recently, two bulk carriers that had proceeded toward the Persian Gulf southern ports using forged documentation, were subject to legal enforcement action."

Iran tightened its grip on the strait on Feb 28, barring safe passage of vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the US following their joint strikes on Iranian territory.

Iran-Argentina spat

Iran's Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday that the country has designated the Argentine Navy and Air Force as terrorist organizations.

The move came in response to the Argentine government's decision in late March to designate Iran's IRGC as a terrorist entity, the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry described Argentina's decision as "hostile and being in contradiction with the fundamental principles of international law," saying Iran's move was based on the principle of reciprocity and a domestic law on reciprocal action against the US designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organization.

The law calls for equivalent countermeasures against countries that comply with or support Washington's actions against Tehran, the statement said.

The ministry held the Argentine government responsible for all consequences arising from the decision, stressing that the IRGC is an integral part of Iran's armed forces.

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The office of Argentine President Javier Milei announced on March 31 that Argentina had designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization.

The decision followed calls by US President Donald Trump's administration for its allies to designate the IRGC and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations.

The Argentine government said the measure had been adopted in response to the IRGC's support for Hezbollah, a Lebanese armed group, which Buenos Aires blames for a deadly 1994 bombing attack on the AMIA Jewish community center in the capital city. The attack killed 85 people and injured over 300 others.

Earlier this month, the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that Tehran had designated Britain's Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and Secret Intelligence Service as "terrorist and hostile" entities over the British government's anti-Iran actions.