Iran says five tankers catch fire after hitting mines in Hormuz

Tehran — Iran's Revolutionary Guards and army say five oil tankers and a tugboat caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday after striking naval mines, in what would be one of the worst single days for shipping since the war with the United States and Israel began in late February. There has been no independent confirmation of the incidents from maritime officials.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps told the Fars news agency that a large tanker attempting to pass through what it called the "illegal passageway" south of the strait caught fire overnight and was brought to a halt. It said a second supertanker was halted by fire while exiting the eastern strait, and that a tugboat sent to extinguish the blaze also caught fire. The army later said three more tankers struck mines and caught fire east of the strait, according to statements carried by the official IRNA news agency.

Since the war began, Tehran has severely restricted traffic through the strait, attacking ships it accuses of transiting without authorisation. The US military has in response imposed a blockade on Iranian ports and escorted tankers through the waterway; last month it said it had helped Gulf countries export 1.5 billion barrels of oil via Hormuz since the summer. Iranian forces made clear, Al Jazeera reported, that shipping would remain in peril as long as the war is unresolved.

Separately, the British military's UKMTO agency said a tanker was struck by two projectiles about 50 nautical miles north of Qatar's Madinat ash-Shamal late on Wednesday. It did not identify the vessel or its flag, gave no details of damage or casualties, and there was no immediate claim of responsibility. The Hindu reported that the site lies roughly 500 kilometres west of Hormuz, in the centre of the Gulf.

The incidents come at a tense moment. Unnamed Pentagon officials told The New York Times that thousands of US air and naval forces are poised to resume major combat operations on President Donald Trump's orders. Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Wednesday there should not be "even the slightest inclination towards submission" to Washington. Attacks on Gulf tankers are running close to a record pace, and UKMTO has said it is "struggling to accurately report" the true number because most ships no longer report them.

Qatar has stepped up mediation in recent days, with its foreign ministry saying both sides are reviewing proposals and talks continue. For the crews working these waters — and for the Gulf economies watching every cargo — the wait now is for word of whether the strait can be made safe, and whether diplomacy can move faster than the mines.