Iran Says Tanker Hit Mine, Second Supertanker and Tugboat Burned in Hormuz Overnight

The Strait of Hormuz has gone from battlefield to bargaining chip in the conflict between the United States and Iran. The latest chapter came Thursday, when Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed two more shipping incidents overnight.

What Iran is claiming

In a statement carried by Iranian state media, the IRGC said a large oil tanker tried to cross an "unauthorized southern route," struck a mine, caught fire and was stopped.

A second supertanker was leaving the same route, east of the strait, when it was stopped by a large fire, the IRGC said. A tugboat that approached to help fight the blaze also caught fire.

The statement did not identify any of the vessels or their flags. It did not say whether anyone was hurt. The claims had not been independently verified, and no immediate confirmation from maritime authorities or the vessels' operators was reported.

The IRGC also said its Navy electronic warfare units took control of two intruding "Lucas" drones, guided them to land and seized them as spoils. That claim is unverified as well.

Iran's argument, in its own terms

The IRGC statement framed the incidents as Washington's doing. It said the U.S. is "insisting on and inciting vessels to violate the rules and cross the mined route," and that this loads heavy insurance costs for damaged vessels onto American taxpayers and regional allies.

It went further. The IRGC said that had Washington shown any prudence, it could have avoided these heavy losses and "an embarrassing electoral defeat" by releasing Iran's frozen assets, which it said amount to less than half the costs incurred so far. The statement also praised Iranians for "250 days of steadfastness" and said Iranian naval forces "continue to manage the Strait of Hormuz with authority."

The rival claim to the waterway

Washington and the International Maritime Organization reject Iran's position. Iran maintains its own corridor inside its territorial waters and, according to Fox News Digital's reporting, imposes tolls and safety fees administered by the IRGC. Washington and the IMO reject that framework as inconsistent with international maritime law.

IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said the only route approved and recognized by the IMO, and the one that appears on all the charts, is the traffic separation scheme adopted in 1968. He said the IMO's information is that mines remain there.

"Whilst the conflict is ongoing, it's very difficult for us to use third parties to verify that it is clear of these hazards," Dominguez said. "We cannot guarantee that a vessel that intends to transit that route will not be hit by a mine."

Dominguez said Iran communicated its temporary route to the IMO because of the conflict, but that the route has not gone through the organization's approval process.

U.S. forces say the United States and its regional partners oversee the waterway, not Iran. Before the war, the strait carried about one-fifth of the world's oil.

A pattern, not a one-off

Thursday's claims follow a run of similar IRGC statements. On Oct. 17, Iran said two tankers carrying about 2 million barrels of crude caught fire after hitting mines. Iranian state media said the vessels had switched off their positioning and radar systems.

On Oct. 22, Iran said seven vessels were hit and caught fire in the northern Persian Gulf and the strait. It said three of them struck mines west of the strait on the night of Oct. 21.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations center independently reported one related incident that night. A tanker was struck by an unknown projectile about 11 nautical miles west of Bukha, Oman. The fire was put out, all crew were safe, and there was no reported environmental impact.

The losses are not only Iranian claims. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said the Singapore-flagged container ship GFS Pride sustained damage and a fire while passing through the strait and has since sunk. All 21 crew were safely evacuated. The authority called such attacks "unprovoked, unjustifiable, and a breach of international law."

The dry bulk carrier Cape Dao sank near the strait after an attack on Sept. 23 that killed one crew member. Iran claimed in one case that a sinking ship hit a mine laid by the IRGC. The sources do not establish who fired the projectiles.

Senior Iranian officials told Reuters that Iran has adopted "new tactics" against civilian vessels, aimed at keeping oil prices high.

Diplomacy still stalled

The U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports has been in effect since July. As of Oct. 17, U.S. Central Command said it had redirected 138 commercial vessels.

Indirect talks continue. Iran said it passed a "concrete seven-day plan" to Washington through Qatar, promising to reopen the strait within seven days if its conditions were met. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said those conditions were nothing beyond the Islamabad memorandum of understanding that both sides signed in June. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said negotiations had stalled because the U.S. response failed to address all seven of Iran's conditions.

The United States says any agreement must address Iran's nuclear program from the outset. President Donald Trump wrote on Oct. 19 that fuel prices would come down quickly once the war ends.

It is unclear whether any ship will test the disputed routes again before a deal is struck. With the IMO unable to verify that even the approved lane is clear, no one outside the IRGC can currently say where the mines are.