Follow-Up: Iran's Guards Say Two Tankers Caught Fire After Hitting Mines in Strait of Hormuz, Second Vessel Left Immobilised
Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy said on Saturday, October 17, that two oil tankers had caught fire after hitting naval mines while crossing the Strait of Hormuz, the official Iranian news agency IRNA reported, according to Reuters.
State media said both tankers were carrying about 2 million barrels of crude oil. There was no independent confirmation of the reports.
IRNA reported that the vessels had switched off their positioning and radar systems and attempted to use an unauthorised route through the strategic waterway. The second vessel was left immobilised after striking a mine, it added. State media earlier reported that the other tanker had also struck a mine while attempting to transit the strait via a route not authorised by Iran.
The incidents come amid heightened tensions around the strait, a key oil shipping route. Disruptions to shipping in the waterway due to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran have boosted global energy prices and inflation.
Maritime officials said on Wednesday that a container ship and a dry bulk carrier sank near the strait after being hit by projectiles in separate incidents.
Attacks around the waterway have surged over the past two weeks, with Iran saying it is stepping up strikes in response to the U.S. blockade of its ports and tougher sanctions imposed last month, Reuters reported.
GSM reported on October 16 that the Guards had said a supertanker carrying more than 2 million barrels of crude had struck a mine in the strait and exploded; at that time the claim had no independent confirmation, the UK Maritime Trade Operations office had issued no report on the vessel, U.S. Central Command had not publicly responded, and Reuters had not yet carried a corresponding report. This item follows up on that report.
(Source: Reuters, October 17, 2026)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美军护卫舰通过霍尔木兹海峡后与一艘油轮同框（资料照片）。美国国防部供图，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons / Photo: A U.S. Navy frigate passes a tanker after transiting the Strait of Hormuz (file photo). U.S. Department of Defense, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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