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Iran Claims Oil Tankers Hit Mines in Strait of Hormuz
· Confirmed
In Short: Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps says four oil tankers hit mines and caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz, while the UK maritime agency reports a vessel was struck by an unknown projectile.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran reported on Sunday that four oil tankers, including a supertanker carrying more than 2 million barrels of oil, hit mines and caught fire while traveling through the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the IRGC, the tankers were attempting to use unauthorized routes when they struck mines and experienced explosions.
Qatari media had earlier reported an attack on a gas tanker, while the UKMTO confirmed on Tuesday that a commercial tanker and a container ship were struck by projectiles of unknown origin in the Strait of Hormuz.
The IRGC Navy also claimed that Iranian forces downed and captured an MQM-170 US drone over Iran’s Qeshm island near the Strait of Hormuz.
The US military has been guiding ships through the waterway on a route nearer to Oman’s coast, while the UKMTO reported at least five incidents including drone strikes in the previous 48 hours targeting tankers and other commercial ships around the Hormuz area.
Since the Middle East war began in February, Iran has been targeting vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and wider Gulf in an effort to assert control over shipping.
In response, the US has been blockading Iranian ports.
Oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and alternative routes averaged more than 24 million barrels a day in the week ending Oct. 18, above the prewar level of 23.3 million, according to the ship-tracking firm Kpler.
The IRGC Navy said that its forces had tracked and hit four tankers carrying out oil transfers in the northern Persian Gulf, while three other vessels hit mines west of the Strait of Hormuz.
A still image from handout video released on September 15, 2026, showed a damaged Panamanian-flagged oil tanker 'El Gaia' following an incident in the Strait of Hormuz.
A second Iranian oil tanker was disabled near Jask, east of the Strait of Hormuz.
The US military said it destroyed three Iranian oil tankers in response to attempted missile attacks on naval vessels, with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards saying they targeted US-linked ships in response.
What's confirmed
- The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said four oil tankers, including a "supertanker" carrying more than 2 million barrels of oil, hit mines and caught fire while travelling through the Strait of Hormuz, and the IRGC said the tankers suffered explosions on Friday after attempting to use unauthorised routes.
What's still developing
- Operations at the Shaybah field and its processing facilities remain unaffected, but the attack rattled markets again amid concerns about potential disruption to Saudi supply just as the Kingdom has largely restored its exports via the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.
- "We are waiting for American warships to approach the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz so that we can sink them," Azmaei told state television, claiming Iranian forces are "counting down" for an encounter.
- Iran has proposed a seven-day plan to end its war with the United States and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in New York.
- It says vessels must obtain its permission to transit the waterway.
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