Iran's Guards Say Two Tankers Carrying 4 Million Barrels Burned in Hormuz as Trump Says War Ends 'When We Want to End It'

Since U.S. strikes on Iran began Feb. 28, Tehran has heavily restricted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, and on Thursday, Nov. 12, the Revolutionary Guard Corps said two supertankers carrying more than four million barrels of oil were burning after an "accident" in the strait.

The IRGC said the ships were traversing a "prohibited" southern route "despite repeated warnings" from its navy. It said a "violent explosion" left both vessels immobilized.

The statement blamed the "blind trust placed in the aggressive American military." It did not specify what caused the explosion.

The strait and the blockade

Tehran insists ships use routes it approves. The United States has answered with a naval blockade of Iranian ports and has helped tankers move through the strait, which normally carries about one-fifth of the world's oil.

Iranian forces have announced several ship fires in recent weeks on routes Tehran considers off-limits. Iran has often said the ships struck mines. The U.S. military recently claimed all mines had been cleared from the strait.

The IRGC account is Tehran's own. The statement did not name the ships or their owners.

Oil prices edged lower as investors watched the crisis, with hopes alive that Washington and Tehran can reach a deal to reopen Hormuz, according to AFP. The dollar held recent gains after hotter-than-expected U.S. inflation data raised expectations of more Federal Reserve rate hikes.

Trump: the end date is his call

Speaking at Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, Trump said the war would end soon but on his terms. "It's just a question of when we want to end it," he said. "We want to make sure we have a total victory, not a 93% victory."

He said it would take Iran "25 years to rebuild back what we have destroyed." He also said: "We lost 18 beautiful souls."

At a White House press conference after the midterms, Trump was asked when the war will end. "Whenever I want it to, but it's gotta be done right, and we're never going to let them have a nuclear weapon," he said.

He agreed with Vice President JD Vance's statement that Republicans lost the election because of the war. "I think it's largely true, because it drove the gasoline up a little bit short-term," Trump said.

Asked whether losing the Senate was worth it, he answered "I do," and said the country has "no choice." He added: "I thought the oil would go up a lot more, and I did it on that basis."

Trump's stated case is long-term. "If I had to do it again, I'd have to do it again, because long term it's the only answer. You can't let Iran have a nuclear weapon."

On Nov. 9 he said further military action was "quite unlikely" but that U.S. forces are "locked and loaded." He said Iran is "talking to us, and they're talking very politely."

The political price

Voters weighed in on the war directly. In a CNN exit poll, 87 percent said they were concerned about gas prices. Thirty-four percent called the Iran war a crucial factor in their vote and another 40 percent called it a major one.

The AP's Election Day survey found about six in 10 voters said the decision to use military force against Iran was the wrong one.

Democrats took control of both chambers of Congress, according to The Independent.

Tehran and the Houthis push back

Iran's national security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, said in an interview with Lebanon's Al-Mayadeen TV that if Washington "launches another war," every U.S. "military base involved in the aggression, from West Asia to Europe, will be a legitimate target." He said that includes bases in European countries from which U.S. aircraft take off to bomb Iran.

That is a direct counter to Trump's claim that Iran is effectively finished militarily. Trump has said Iran's missile and drone manufacturing is down about 85%.

Separately, the Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said it intercepted drones in the Riyadh region and eastern Saudi Arabia on Thursday. It said it destroyed two ballistic missiles aimed at western Saudi Arabia Wednesday night, plus drones over the south and the Mecca region.

Saudi civil defense said missile debris fell in the village of Sabouha, about 22 miles from Mecca. The Houthis, backed by Iran, have repeatedly denied targeting Mecca and Medina. Attacks on Saudi airports, energy infrastructure and Riyadh's financial district have continued since fighting resumed in July.

What is still open

Trump has set no date for ending the war. His position is that the strait, the blockade and the nuclear question are tied to a "total victory." Iran's position is that ships using its barred routes are responsible for what happens to them.

The cause of the explosion on the two tankers remains unconfirmed outside the IRGC's statement.