The navy said the vessel had its tracking and identification systems switched off and was operating in a prohibited zone despite earlier warnings. The statement did not name the tanker or say where it came from. The report could not be independently verified.
Later the same day, the Revolutionary Guards Navy said two more oil tankers exploded and caught fire after hitting mines while trying to cross the strait by a route Tehran has not authorized. Iranian state news agency IRNA carried the statement.
The Iranian military has said at least 12 oil tankers and one gas tanker were hit by explosions over the past week. The Guards released footage on Friday of a large plume of smoke rising from a vessel they said was carrying liquefied gas and had hit a mine in the south of the strait. None of the claims has been independently verified.
The US military says it has cleared the main routes through the waterway of mines.
Iran has imposed restrictions on vessels seeking to pass through the strait and has attacked ships it says violated them. The strait normally carries about one-fifth of the world's oil.
