Iran's Guard Reports Tanker Fires in Hormuz, Oman Evacuates 25 Crew, Brent Trades Near $117

Since the war began Feb. 28, the Strait of Hormuz has been the main pressure point in the U.S.-Iran standoff, and Friday, Oct. 30, brought more incidents on the water, a new evacuation off Oman and another jump in crude.

Guard claims more tankers stopped

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Friday that three oil tankers had encountered incidents while trying to use routes Tehran considers unauthorized, in both the eastern and western sections of the strait. The Guard said all of the vessels were subsequently stopped in the waterway's southern waters.

According to Iranian state media, the Guard claimed the ships had switched off their navigation and positioning systems and kept sailing despite repeated radio warnings, with U.S. military backing. Iranian accounts put the number of tankers on fire at two or three.

The Guard gave no names, flags, cause of the incidents or crew condition. Nothing independent confirms those details.

Oman evacuates a burning vessel

Separately, Oman's Maritime Security Center said Friday that the Royal Navy of Oman evacuated 25 crew members from a Panama-flagged commercial vessel that was attacked and caught fire about 1.6 nautical miles off Musandam. The crew received medical care. The center did not identify the ship.

No one has said whether that vessel is one of the tankers in the Guard's statement.

The same is true of the Thursday-evening limpet-mine attack about 25 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, Oman, already reported. UKMTO said two explosive devices were attached above the waterline, the engine-room fire was extinguished, all crew were safe and the tanker resumed its voyage. The Financial Times identified the ship as the Louise 1. No one has claimed responsibility, and it is unclear whether that attack connects to the Guard's claims.

The mine dispute

The Guard's account rests on a claim that the southern corridor near the Omani coast is mined. The U.S. says otherwise. U.S. Central Command has repeatedly said all mines in "primary transit routes" have been cleared, and on Sunday it said it had helped Gulf countries export 1.5 billion barrels of oil through Hormuz since the summer.

Guard spokesman Hossein Mohebi answered Thursday on X: "Prove your Hormuz mine-clearing claim with independent evidence, not statements!" The Guard has also said vessel owners and crews bear responsibility for using the southern route and should ignore what it called CENTCOM's "delusions on social media."

On Thursday the Guard also said its electronic warfare unit captured a U.S. MQM-170 reconnaissance drone in the western strait. The U.S. has not confirmed that.

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

Oil keeps climbing

Brent crude rose to about $117 a barrel Friday, with one quote at $117.62. Fox News reported oil is on track for what would likely be a fourth straight monthly increase.

Energy markets elsewhere are strained. OilPrice.com's headline feed noted European gas topping 101 euros for the first time since 2022, and Japan moving to tap $7 billion from a government fund to subsidize gasoline.

President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Oct. 19 that fuel prices would come down quickly once the war ends. Midterm elections are next month, and the Associated Press has noted that war-linked high prices have sparked voter anger.

Diplomacy and the military clock

Qatari mediators returned to Tehran on Friday for another round of talks. Iran is still promoting a seven-day plan to fully reopen the strait if the U.S. meets several conditions, including ending the blockade. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said those conditions are nothing beyond the Islamabad memorandum of understanding signed in June. Trump has rejected the plan, though both sides acknowledge indirect contacts continue. The U.S. has said any deal must address Iran's nuclear program from the outset.

The Wall Street Journal reported that CENTCOM chief Adm. Brad Cooper, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth briefed Trump on military options Thursday. The Journal also reported that Trump officials have told Arab allies to prepare for a short, intense campaign after the midterms. At a rally last week, Trump said, "We may do another little Epic Fury."

The Guard has again threatened U.S. bases in the region if the U.S. keeps guiding commercial ships through the strait, and Tehran has said it could widen its targets to undersea cables and data centers.

What's unresolved is who is placing the mines and charges, and whether the Qatari talks produce anything before the election.