Mines in Hormuz? Iran Says Two Tankers Caught Fire as US Disables Blockade-Running Cargo Ship

The world’s most important oil chokepoint got even more dangerous overnight. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say two oil tankers caught fire after hitting naval mines in and near the Strait of Hormuz, hours after the U.S. military said it fired on and disabled a cargo ship that tried to slip past its blockade of Iran. Neither tanker has been named, and no maritime authority has independently confirmed the mine strikes.

Editorial illustration of two generic oil tankers trailing grey smoke in a narrow strait between rocky desert coastlines at dusk, with a line of buoys in the foreground and a distant patrol vessel. No people or logos. — Editorial illustration. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say two tankers hit mines in and near the Strait of Hormuz; the claim has not been independently verified.

Here is what each side is saying, what has and has not been verified, and why the shipping lanes off Iran’s coast are now at the center of the conflict.

What Iran’s Revolutionary Guards are claiming

In a statement carried by its official outlet Sepah News, the navy of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said early Sunday that two “violating” tankers struck mines while trying to pass through an “unauthorized” route. According to the statement, one vessel hit a mine east of the strait and the other while crossing the waterway, and both were left burning.

The IRGC accused both ships of switching off their navigation and GPS systems, and warned that any vessel “cooperating” with U.S. forces and entering the restricted area in defiance of Iranian rules would “definitely” hit mines, according to reports by Xinhua and Anadolu Agency.

What has not been confirmed

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty noted that the IRGC did not identify the vessels or give any information about their crews or possible casualties, and that the claims could not be independently verified. No maritime authority had confirmed the two incidents at the time of its report. Al Jazeera’s live coverage on Sunday said three tankers were on fire in the strait, a figure that has not been matched by other outlets so far.

Iranian media separately reported explosions in several parts of southern Hormozgan Province, including Qeshm Island, Jask and Bandar Abbas, with conflicting accounts of what caused them, according to RFE/RL and ABC News.

The U.S. strike on the M/V Huda

The mine claims came a day after U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said one of its aircraft fired precision munitions at the stern of the St. Kitts and Nevis-flagged cargo ship M/V Huda in the Gulf of Oman on Nov. 7. CENTCOM said the ship had visited an Iranian port, that its crew “ignored repeated warnings,” and that forces directed the crew to abandon the targeted spaces before the strike. Crew members were reported safe.

CENTCOM says that since July its forces have redirected 147 commercial vessels that complied with the blockade and disabled five merchant ships that refused. The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency also reported an incident involving a bulk carrier and military forces about 18 nautical miles east of Khor Fakkan on the UAE coast, Euronews reported.

A blockade expanding onto land

Washington is widening the pressure campaign. CENTCOM announced Task Force Iron Gate, a unit of roughly 20 civilian and military personnel based in Tampa, Florida, aimed at disrupting Iran’s movement of advanced weapons, dual-use technology and sanctioned goods over its land borders and across the Caspian Sea, Anadolu reported. Iranian officials, for their part, have repeatedly said the strait will stay closed to vessels they consider hostile until Tehran’s conditions are met.

Why it matters

A significant share of the world’s seaborne oil moves through the Strait of Hormuz, so even unconfirmed reports of mines and burning tankers ripple through energy markets, insurance costs and global shipping schedules. The competing claims also show how the conflict at sea has become a contest of narratives, with each side warning mariners to follow its own rules.

What to watch next: whether shipping authorities or the tankers’ owners confirm the mine strikes, whether there are any crew injuries, and whether ongoing diplomatic contacts produce any de-escalation. President Trump has said a deal with Tehran “could happen,” RFE/RL reported, but for now the waters off Iran remain among the most dangerous in the world.