Iran Claims Tankers Hit Mines in Hormuz After U.S. Said Lanes Cleared

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said Friday that three oil tankers caught fire after striking naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz, including a supertanker carrying more than 2 million barrels of oil, according to the Associated Press, which cited Iranian state media. Iran’s regular army separately said a fourth tanker burned east of the strait, CNBC reported.

The claims land just days after U.S. Central Command said American forces had cleared mines from the main transit routes through the waterway. A Revolutionary Guard spokesman, Hossein Mohebi, challenged that statement and demanded independent evidence that the waterway had been cleared, according to CNBC.

Iran says two tankers stopped south of Hormuz after incidents

Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy said on Friday that two oil tankers were stopped south of the Strait of Hormuz after ignoring radio warnings and attempting to use an unauthorized route. In a separate incident, a…

— PiQ (@PiQMarkets) October 30, 2026

Iran’s account has not been independently verified. Euronews reported that the Guard gave no details on the tankers’ names, flags, the exact cause of the incidents or the condition of their crews. The Guard said the ships had switched off their navigation systems, ignored repeated radio warnings and tried to use what Tehran calls “unauthorized” routes with U.S. military support, according to Euronews and the AP.

A confirmed limpet mine attack

One attack has been confirmed by outside sources. The British navy’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said a small boat approached a tanker Thursday evening about 25 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, Oman, and attached two explosive devices to its hull, Reuters reported. The blasts started an engine-room fire and temporarily disabled the ship, the agency said, but the crew was safe, the fire was put out and the vessel continued its voyage.

Three maritime security sources told Reuters the ship was the Panama-flagged Louise 1 and that it was hit with limpet mines, the first known successful use of those explosives in the strait since the U.S. war with Iran began in February. Reuters reported that it was not immediately clear who was behind the attack. A separate attempt with similar devices in September failed to detonate, two of the sources told the news agency.

“The apparent ability of a small craft to approach a transiting tanker, deploy explosive devices and withdraw presents a significant security concern,” the Greece-based maritime risk firm Marisks said in a note quoted by Reuters.

Oman’s Maritime Security Center also said Friday that the Royal Navy of Oman evacuated 25 crew members from a Panama-flagged commercial ship that came under attack and caught fire off the Musandam coast, according to Euronews. The center did not name the vessel or say who was responsible.

Pressure before the midterms

The strait carried about one-fifth of the world’s energy supplies before the war, and traffic has dropped to single-digit daily passages since the fighting started, CNBC reported.

The flare-up comes as the Trump administration reportedly weighs renewed military action against Tehran after Tuesday’s midterm elections, while Vice President JD Vance seeks to reopen talks, CNBC reported. Qatari mediators returned to Tehran on Friday for another round of talks aimed at ending the war, according to Euronews.

For now, the only attack confirmed by Western maritime authorities is the Louise 1 strike, according to Reuters and Euronews. Daily Beltway will update as Central Command and shipping authorities release more details.

Sources

• AP News
• CNBC
• Reuters via gCaptain
• Al Jazeera
• Euronews

Reporting by Daily Beltway.