Key takeaways
- Iran says four oil tankers were hit by explosions in the Strait of Hormuz; Reuters could not verify the claim.
- Iran named none of the ships, and a separate projectile strike near Ras Al-Khaimah has not been linked to them.
- Attacks on ships continue: Reuters, citing Washington Institute data, counted 37 in October, the highest monthly tally so far.
Iran's military said on Thursday (12 November) that four oil tankers were hit by explosions in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said the vessels ignored warnings and entered what it considers restricted areas. Reuters could not immediately verify the Iranian account. Every detail below about the four ships is an Iranian claim.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said two supertankers were disabled on Wednesday night (11 November) after ignoring warnings about an "unauthorized route". The IRGC referred to the "southern maritime route", and Iran has declared the southern routes near Omani waters unauthorised. The IRGC said the ships "were involved in an accident" and carried over four million barrels of oil "which are now ablaze", AFP reported. Iranian state media said the two tankers exploded after hitting naval mines, Reuters reported, and broadcast what it said was video footage of the incidents.
Second pair and a separate incident
Iran's army said two other tankers hit mines on Thursday afternoon in the eastern strait. State television carried the statement. The army said the ships switched off their radar, entered a prohibited area and caught fire. It described them as tankers "in violation", according to AFP. AFP reported that neither Iranian statement named the ships or their nationalities, a point Arab News also carried in its own report. IBTimes reported that separate footage, cited by Iran International and verified by Reuters, showed a tanker burning near Oman but concerned earlier incidents and did not establish what happened on Wednesday night.
A separate incident is not established as one of the four. UKMTO (UK Maritime Trade Operations) and Ambrey reported a vessel hit by an unidentified projectile on Wednesday, about 14 nautical miles northwest of Ras Al-Khaimah, UAE. Reuters named it as the Liberia-flagged MT Dominica Prosperity. India's shipping minister, Sarbananda Sonowal, said all 22 crew were evacuated safely. CBS said it was unclear whether the two reports from the maritime monitoring groups referred to the same two ships Iran said had experienced "massive explosions" on Wednesday.
Observers are reading: Attack-tempo data, the mines-versus-projectiles gap and the signals that would confirm or contradict Iran's account.
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Both sides claim the strait
The unverified tally arrived on the day Trump said he does not need a deal and Iran restated its conditions. Both sides claim command of the strait. By Thursday, neither claim had been independently demonstrated.
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