Unexploded ordnance kills 14 IRGC members in clearance operation

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Fourteen members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were killed Friday while attempting to defuse unexploded ordnance left from the six-week war in the northwestern province of Zanjan, state media reported.

“While conducting neutralization operations, the explosion of one of the unexploded ordnances led to a bitter incident in which 14 serviceable and devoted forces attained the high rank of martyrdom, and two others were wounded,” Iranian media cited the IRGC as saying.

The US and Israel launched a wide-scale air campaign against Iran on February 28, targeting more than 17,000 sites across the country during six weeks of hostilities. In response, Tehran carried out thousands of drone and missile strikes across the Middle East.

The IRGC said its specialized units tasked with clearing contaminated areas have so far “succeeded in identifying, neutralizing, and destroying more than 15,000 cases of unexploded ordnance.”

Fars News Agency also cited the IRGC as saying that “1,200 hectares of agricultural land were contaminated by bombs.”

The US and Iran agreed to a Pakistan-mediated ceasefire on April 8, halting fighting to allow space for talks. While the first round of discussions concluded without a final agreement on April 11, a second round has yet to take place as the conflict remains unresolved.

Alongside the talks, Iran and the US have engaged in reciprocal maritime restrictions. In the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran has tightened controls on shipping through the strategic chokepoint, which handles more than 25 percent of global seaborne oil trade and around 20 percent of global liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments.

Meanwhile, Washington has enforced a naval blockade on Iranian ports since April 13. US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported Thursday that it had redirected 44 commercial vessels attempting to violate the embargo.