Iran Says Third Supertanker Hit Mine in Strait of Hormuz in Two Days as IRGC Warns All Dark Ships Are Hostile

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy announced on October 11 that a third crude-laden supertanker struck a naval mine in the southern Strait of Hormuz within a 24-hour span, triggering an explosion and fire in the vessel's engine room. The IRGC said all three tankers had turned off their AIS and other navigation and identification systems, diverted onto unauthorized routes through the strait, and were struck as a direct consequence. IRGC drones were monitoring the latest burning vessel at sea as of the announcement.

The IRGC issued a broad warning alongside its statement, declaring that any ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz with navigation and identification systems switched off will be classified as hostile and met with severe and decisive action, effectively expanding its enforcement campaign to all vessels sailing dark through the waterway. The incidents come amid a broader Iranian effort to reassert control over the strait, with more than a dozen strikes on shipping reported since late September and crude prices pushed above $100 a barrel as tanker transits have fallen sharply.

Separately, the UK Maritime Trade Operations authority reported a new incident involving a tanker near the Sohar anchorage in Oman on October 11, with the status of the crew, extent of any damage and environmental impact all unknown at the time of the report. It was not immediately clear whether that incident was connected to the mine-strike series described by the IRGC.