Iran says two tankers ablaze after hitting Hormuz mines

Tehran — Two oil tankers caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday after striking naval mines, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said, the latest incident in a waterway Tehran has kept on a short leash since its war with the United States began in late February. The Guards did not name the vessels or say whose flags they flew.

According to the state news agency IRNA, quoted by The Hindu, the Guards said the two ships had been "violating regulations" and were travelling through "unauthorised routes" when they hit the mines, one in the eastern part of the strait and one within it. The statement added that the tankers had switched off their navigation and positioning systems.

Since the war began, Tehran has insisted that vessels use only routes it authorises, while Washington has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports and escorted tankers through the strait, which normally carries about one-fifth of global oil consumption. The mine claim sits awkwardly beside recent American assurances: US Central Command said last month it had helped Gulf states export 1.5 billion barrels via Hormuz since the summer and has said all mines have been cleared.

Tehran has announced several such fires in recent weeks, a drumbeat of incidents that has become the war's background noise. IRNA separately reported late on Saturday that "sounds resembling explosions" were heard in Qeshm, Sirik, Jask and Bandar Abbas, with officials confirming an "impact" in the port city of Jask. The cause of the sounds, the agency said, remains unknown.

President Donald Trump has previously mused about resuming heavy strikes on Iran before walking the idea back; the US military has nonetheless carried out occasional limited strikes, including an acknowledged hit on an air defence site on Qeshm Island. Whether Sunday's fires were mines, munitions or mishap, neither side has offered independent verification, and the identity of the two ships remains unknown.

The next test is whether Washington repeats its claim that the strait is clear — or quietly adjusts its escort routes. With Trump keeping limited strikes on the table, each new fire narrows the room for such certainties.