Iran says four tankers hit mines in Hormuz as U.S. mine-clearance claim disputed

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said three tankers caught fire after hitting mines on an "unauthorized southern route" near the Omani coast, and the Iranian army reported a fourth tanker burned east of the Strait of Hormuz. The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency confirmed a small boat attached two explosive devices to a tanker about 25 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, Oman, causing an engine-room fire but leaving the crew unharmed.

The IRGC also rejected a U.S. Central Command claim that American forces had cleared mines from the main transit lanes in the strait. > "Prove the claim that the Strait of Hormuz has been cleared of mines with independent evidence, not a statement," IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebi said, adding that the reality of the strait is determined "in the air, on land and at sea, not on social media and in America's media war rooms."

The incident comes amid heightened regional tension, with Iran-backed Houthi forces announcing six operations against Saudi Arabia, targeting airports and oil facilities. Saudi officials said their air defenses intercepted a Houthi drone aimed at the Mecca region, though they did not confirm the attacks.

U.S. officials are reportedly weighing renewed military options against Iran ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. Vice President JD Vance has sent a letter, via Qatari mediators, to Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, proposing a framework for talks. President Donald Trump denied directing the outreach, saying Vance had asked for his opinion and that he responded, "if you want to do that, that's OK."

U.S. Admiral Brad Cooper, the top commander in the region, briefed Trump on possible military actions in a rare in-person White House meeting, which also covered the ongoing U.S. blockade of Iranian shipping.