Two oil tankers caught fire in or near the Strait of Hormuz after allegedly striking mines, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has said, a day after Tehran reported similar incidents involving five other tankers and a tugboat.
The IRGC said one vessel was east of the strait and the other inside it. Both had allegedly disabled their navigation and identification systems before attempting to use what Iran described as an unauthorised route.
Iranian state media carried the statement, which said the tankers had been supported by the US military and were immobilised after hitting mines. The claims have not been independently confirmed by maritime officials.
President Trump has accused Iran of fabricating attacks in an attempt to push up global energy prices. Iranian media reported on Thursday that five oil tankers and a tugboat had caught fire in similar incidents in the Strait of Hormuz.
Strait of Hormuz shipping remains under threat
A UK naval agency said earlier this week that at least 30 attacks on commercial vessels had taken place in the region during October, despite repeated US assurances that shipping lanes through the strait remained open and safe. It described the figure as a record high.
Since the war began with joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, Tehran has sought to control traffic through the strategic passage. About a fifth of global crude oil supplies would typically have passed through the strait before the conflict.
The United States responded by imposing a blockade on Iranian ports and has escorted tankers through the waterway. Those measures, alongside other routes, have helped Gulf shipments return to or approach pre-war levels, although vessels continue to come under attack.
