Iran says four tankers have caught fire after striking mines in the Strait of Hormuz, deepening fears over one of the world’s most vital shipping lanes.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said three “violating” oil tankers exploded and burned after entering what it called an unauthorized southern route. Later, Iran’s army reported a fourth tanker had been damaged and set ablaze east of the strait. According to the statements, the vessels had switched off their radar and navigation systems and ignored warnings from Iranian naval forces, reported by Arab News.
The claims could not be independently verified, and it remains unclear when the incidents happened, which countries the tankers belonged to, or whether anyone was injured. Britain’s maritime agency, UKMTO, said it had received a report of a ship on fire in the strait, but gave no details about the cause or casualties.
The reports come a day after the US military said it had cleared key routes through Hormuz. US Central Command has repeatedly insisted that mines have been removed from the main transit corridors, while Iran challenges that claim and warns ships against using the southern passage near Oman.
The strait, which normally carries about one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas consumption, has become a dangerous flashpoint since the war began on February 28. Iran has tightly restricted traffic, while the United States has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports and helped tankers navigate the waterway. CENTCOM said on Sunday that it had helped Gulf countries export 1.5 billion barrels of oil through Hormuz since the summer.
In a sharp exchange on social media, IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebi demanded that Washington prove its mine-clearing claims with independent evidence. The Guards also said Iran had captured a US MQM-170 reconnaissance drone during an operation in the western part of the strait.
For shipowners, crews, and energy markets, the message from Tehran was unmistakable: the Strait of Hormuz remains perilous, and every passage now carries political as well as physical risk.
