Iran Says Fourth Tanker Hit Mines Near Hormuz as IRGC Demands Independent Proof of U.S. Mine Clearing

Since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, control of the Strait of Hormuz has been the central fight of the war. Thursday, Oct. 29, added more incidents to that record and a direct challenge to the U.S. military's claim that the lanes are safe.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said "over the past 24 hours, three violating oil tankers exploded and caught fire after striking mines" on what Tehran calls the unauthorized southern route. Later in the day, Iran's army said a fourth tanker, "illegally operating in a restricted and dangerous area east of the Strait of Hormuz," was damaged, caught fire and could not move after striking naval mines.

Iran did not say when the incidents happened or which flags the ships flew. The IRGC said the vessels had switched off radar and navigation systems and ignored warnings from its navy.

A tanker hit on the U.S.-backed route

The UK Maritime Trade Operations center reported that a tanker was struck by a projectile in the strait at about 7:30 p.m. local time, noon Eastern. The ship was exiting along the southern route promoted by the United States. The agency reported no injuries to the crew and no environmental impact at the time.

It is not clear who fired the projectile. Iran has claimed the mine strikes and has been targeting ships on the southern route at a higher rate, but it has not claimed this specific hit.

The same agency also said a crew was rescued after their vessel caught fire and sank near Khasab, in Oman's Musandam Governorate. The reporting does not say what caused the fire.

Who is right about the mines

CENTCOM said Wednesday that all mines in "primary transit routes" have been cleared. It has repeated that position on social media as Iran has reported one mine strike after another in recent weeks.

IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebi answered Thursday on X: "Prove your Hormuz mine-clearing claim with independent evidence, not statements!" The IRGC navy went further, saying the southern route is mined and that vessel owners and crews are responsible for using it. It told them not to "pay attention to CENTCOM's delusions on social media."

The UN's International Maritime Organization has not backed the all-clear. Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said the information the IMO has is that mines remain in the traffic separation scheme. He added that while the conflict continues it is "very difficult for us to use third parties to verify that it is clear." His conclusion: "we cannot guarantee that a vessel that intends to transit that route will not be hit by a mine."

There is a wrinkle in Iran's account. Some shippers have been slow to report incidents, so the full count lags. Iran's claims of mine strikes have also run ahead of what the UK monitor has confirmed on some days.

The scale of the disruption

More than a dozen strikes on shipping have occurred since the end of September, according to CNN's count. That has cut the volume of oil moving through the strait and kept crude above $100 a barrel. Shipping industry experts told CNN that six commercial vessels were reportedly struck on a single recent Sunday, the highest one-day number since the war began.

The U.S. blockade of Iranian ports has been in force since July. CENTCOM said that as of Oct. 17 it had redirected 138 commercial vessels. On Sunday it said it had helped Gulf countries export 1.5 billion barrels of oil through Hormuz since the summer.

Diplomacy stalled

Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency, which is closely affiliated with the IRGC, said Tehran has not responded to a letter Vance sent to Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council. Tasnim said Iran will not drop its core conditions for a ceasefire: lifting the U.S. blockade, easing sanctions and access to its frozen assets abroad.

Several news outlets have described Vance's letter as an attempt to restart negotiations. Trump said Wednesday that it was a narrow outreach meant only to help get medical supplies into Iran.

Trump has also said on Truth Social that the U.S. will not attack Iran before the Nov. 3 midterm elections. He said the administration is "having productive discussions" with Tehran and that his main aim is to keep Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. Iran's own seven-day proposal, which would reopen the strait if its conditions are met, has been rejected by Trump. Both sides acknowledge indirect talks continue.

Iranian officials call Hormuz a "strategic red line." Washington and Gulf states say free navigation in international waters is not negotiable.

Shippers face a practical choice: whether any party will allow an independent check of the southern route. The IRGC has demanded one, and the IMO says it cannot currently provide one. Until that happens, each tanker captain on that route is deciding between competing claims about whether the water is safe.