IRGC claims mine attack on tankers in Strait of Hormuz as Tehran threatens wider strikes

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has said two oil tankers were struck by mines it laid in the Strait of Hormuz, setting both vessels on fire and bringing them to a standstill. The claim, made in a statement cited by Iranian media, points to a sharp escalation in tensions around one of the world's most important shipping lanes. The IRGC said the tankers were using what it described as an unauthorised route through the southern part of the strait near the Omani coast.

The statement did not name the vessels or give their exact location. It said the explosions came from mines laid by the IRGC Navy in what it called the "illegal passage" south of the strait. The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway through which a large share of global oil trade passes, and any disruption there can quickly affect energy markets and maritime insurance costs.

Under international maritime law, the passage is generally open to transit traffic, making unilateral restrictions highly contentious. Separately, the UK Maritime Trade Operations centre said it had received a report of an incident involving an oil tanker and military forces on Monday, about 121 nautical miles east of the Omani city of Duqm. It said there were no reports of damage or casualties and did not identify the vessel.

The timing and location of that report add to the uncertainty around the events in and near the strait, but the two accounts have not been independently reconciled. The IRGC also claimed its air defence system shot down a US MQ-9 drone over the strait on Monday night. A US official quoted in American media dismissed that claim as untrue.

Iranian domestic outlets also circulated an unverified report that a US airstrike hit a naval base in Konarak, in Sistan and Baluchistan province, wounding two military personnel and targeting an air defence installation. Washington has not commented on that allegation. The episode matters because the Strait of Hormuz is a critical chokepoint for global energy supplies and a recurring flashpoint in regional confrontation.

Any confirmed attack on tankers there would raise concerns about the safety of commercial shipping, the risk of further retaliation, and the possibility of wider disruption to undersea communications infrastructure. The IRGC spokesperson Hossein Mojabi also threatened to target undersea internet cables in the Gulf and the strait, saying new weapons would be unveiled to push US forces out of the region. Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Tehran would retaliate against any US attack, adding that it would not leave any blow unanswered.

The remarks underline the broader confrontation between Iran and the United States, which has repeatedly played out at sea and in the air around the Gulf. What remains unclear is whether the tanker incident, the drone claim and the reported strike in Konarak are connected, and whether any of the allegations will be independently verified. Further confirmation from maritime authorities, shipping operators or military officials will be needed to establish the full sequence of events.

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