Iran's Guards claim mines hit tankers near Hormuz, unconfirmed
Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed Tuesday that mines set two tankers ablaze south of the Strait of Hormuz, Dawn reported. A separate Guards statement claimed a supertanker caught fire after hitting a mine, gCaptain reported. None of the ships was named, and the claims have not been independently confirmed.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed Tuesday that naval mines set two oil tankers ablaze and brought them to a halt south of the Strait of Hormuz, Dawn reported, citing a Guards Navy statement shared by state media. The Guards did not say when the tankers were hit, according to Dawn.
In a separate statement, the Guards said a supertanker caught fire after striking a naval mine while violating Iranian transit rules, gCaptain reported, citing Reuters. Neither statement named the vessels or offered independently verifiable evidence, gCaptain reported, leaving open whether the statements describe new incidents or repeat earlier claims. The Guards placed the incidents on a route south of the strait that Tehran considers unauthorized.
Maritime security monitors have questioned similar claims. In an October 18 advisory, the Joint Maritime Information Center said "there is no substantiation" for the Guards' claim that two supertankers struck mines on October 17, gCaptain reported. After an August 31 claim, US Central Command said, "No ships have hit mines in the Strait of Hormuz," describing Iran's announcement as an attempt to intimidate commercial shipping through disinformation, according to gCaptain.
Iran claimed on October 14 that a containership struck a mine, in a description that appeared to match the sunken GFS Pride, gCaptain reported. The center found no substantiation for that mine claim and said the ship was hit by an unknown projectile, while Central Command blamed a Guards projectile.
The Guards' statement also said Iran downed a US drone on Monday night, Dawn reported. Neither Dawn nor gCaptain reported a US response to that claim.
The threat from mines is real, gCaptain reported. Reuters reported in March that Iran had deployed about a dozen naval mines in the strait, and US forces later carried out mine-clearing operations. The center keeps a severe threat level for the strait and warns of attempted mining, while traffic remains about 70% below prewar levels, according to gCaptain.
Brent crude for December delivery was at $109.11 a barrel, down 0.4%, as of 5:08 PM Eastern time, according to CNBC market data.
What we know: Iran's Guards claim mines disabled tankers near Hormuz, but the ships were not named and no claim has been independently confirmed.
What we don't: Whether any tanker was actually hit, and when.
Where outlets agree Dawn and gCaptain report that Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed Tuesday that two tankers were set ablaze by mines south of the Strait of Hormuz, without naming the ships.
Where they differ Dawn reports the Guards claimed two tankers were hit, while gCaptain also reports a separate Guards statement, carried by Reuters, claiming a supertanker caught fire after striking a mine.