Iran Says Two More Tankers Hit Mines in Hormuz as It Keeps the Strait Closed

According to the statement as relayed by Iranian state media, the Guards' navy said one tanker was in the eastern part of the strait and the other was inside it. It accused both of breaking its rules and did not name the vessels, their flags or owners, or report any casualties. Iranian statements this week have said the targeted ships had switched off their navigation and identification systems. The Guards also said the strait would stay closed until Washington accepts Tehran's conditions.

Maritime authorities, shipowners and insurers have not confirmed any of the reported mine strikes. For Gulf exporters, shipping lines and underwriters, each claim matters less as a single event than as part of a pattern: Iran is using mine warnings to deter traffic through a channel that normally carries about a fifth of global oil consumption, while the United States insists the main shipping lanes are clear.

A Week of Shifting Counts

Iran's figures have changed from one statement to the next. On November 4 the Guards said four tankers had hit mines and were burning and that two other vessels had been halted while trying to use what they called "the prohibited passage south of the Strait of Hormuz", CBS News reported, citing AFP. The next day Iranian media reported fires on two tankers and a tugboat, then on five tankers and a tugboat, and the Guards' navy said separately that a mine had immobilised one tanker east of the strait. On November 6 the Guards described two tankers, one east of the strait and one inside it, striking mines. It is not clear whether the weekend statement refers to the same two ships or to new incidents.

The US military has rejected earlier claims of this kind. In a post on X on October 28, Central Command said: "All internationally recognized primary transit routes through the Strait of Hormuz have been cleared of sea mines by US forces." It added that "thousands of commercial vessels" continued to use the lanes.

Attacks on shipping are nonetheless real, even when their cause is disputed. The Joint Maritime Information Center's update of November 5 counted four attacks in the strait over 96 hours, all within about 52 hours between November 1 and 3 off Oman's Musandam coast, and two more in the wider Gulf, according to Gulf News. The centre said commercial traffic was "substantially reduced" from the 2025 baseline. Independent tracking showed single-digit to low double-digit transits a day, and US data showed about 31 US-assisted transits a day.

Blockade and Mediation

The mine claims run alongside the US naval blockade of Iranian ports. Central Command said one of its aircraft "fired at the vessel's stern and disabled the ship" after a St Kitts-flagged vessel that had called at an Iranian port ignored warnings in the Gulf of Oman. On Saturday evening Iranian state media reported two explosions on Qeshm Island and several more at the port of Jask, ABC News reported. The cause was unclear, and Iranian officials did not confirm any strikes.

Oil prices have swung with each round of news. Brent fell more than 8% to about $94 a barrel on November 4, its first trade below $100 since September, then recovered 2.2% to $96.70 the next day, according to CBS News. Brent had closed at $103 on November 3, after reaching $116 on October 23.

On the diplomatic side, Iran is reviewing Qatari proposals that address US-Iranian differences over Tehran's nuclear programme, ABC News reported, citing the Associated Press. President Donald Trump discussed the mediation with Qatar's emir on Friday. He has said for weeks that he is considering a new wave of strikes after the November 3 midterm elections, and has said the nuclear issue must be settled as part of any deal to end a war now more than eight months old.