The IRGC reported the first tanker hit a mine, triggering an explosion and a “fierce fire”, while a second vessel was engulfed “in a massive blaze”, according to Iran’s official IRNA news agency. The IRGC claimed one tanker was attempting to cross the waterway “with US support” and that the second was left immobilised. Information about the ships’ names or the origin of their cargo was not immediately available.
IRNA said the vessels had switched off their positioning and radar systems and tried to use a route not authorised by Iran. The IRGC’s naval commander, Rear Admiral Ali Azmaei, had earlier warned that any vessel deactivating its navigation systems would be considered “hostile”.
Iran seized control of the Strait of Hormuz after the US-Israeli war on the country began in late February. Tehran has since demanded that all ships seek its authorisation before transiting. The United States has imposed its own naval counter-blockade on Iranian oil exports.
Attacks around the waterway have surged over the past two weeks. Last Sunday, six vessels were attacked in or near the Strait of Hormuz, the most in a single day since the war began, according to security firm Vanguard, the International Maritime Organization and the UK agency UKMTO. Iran’s army earlier reported two tankers caught fire on Thursday and Friday in its “prohibited zone” in the Gulf of Oman. Maritime monitors also recorded two tankers struck in Gulf waters off Saudi Arabia on Friday.
The disruption has sharply reduced oil flows. Data from Kpler showed nearly 20.8 million barrels of oil passed through the strait on October 8, but only 2.9 million on October 11. Global energy prices and inflation have risen as a result.
US President Donald Trump has explicitly ruled out using a nuclear weapon against Iran and said he was not considering putting troops on the ground. “I wouldn’t use nuclear,” Trump told Newsmax in an interview.