Iran's army said on Thursday, November 12, that two more oil tankers hit naval mines and caught fire in the eastern Strait of Hormuz on Thursday afternoon, Reuters reported from Dubai — taking the number of tankers Iran says have been struck by explosions in the waterway in two days to four. The claim has not been independently verified, and Reuters said it could not immediately verify the Iranian account.

In a statement carried by Iranian state television, the army's public relations department said the two vessels entered a restricted and unsafe area of the eastern strait despite warnings, after switching off their radar systems, and subsequently caught fire, according to Reuters and to Iran's IRIB broadcaster as reported by Hathalyoum. The statement did not name the tankers, their flags or the extent of the damage, and there was no immediate independent confirmation of the incident.

The army statement blamed US President Donald Trump and the vessels' owners for the incident, accusing the owners of relying on what it called misleading statements from Washington — that blame is the Iranian army's claim, reported here as such, and Washington had not commented on the Thursday-afternoon claim at the time of reporting.

The earlier development: Wednesday night's supertankers

The new claim follows a separate incident the night before. Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) Navy said two oil supertankers were disabled by massive explosions on Wednesday night after ignoring repeated warnings against using what it called an unauthorised southern route through the strait; Iranian state media said the vessels hit naval mines, and Press TV said the pair were carrying a combined cargo of more than four million barrels of oil and were burning.

Awaaz Punjab reported the Wednesday-night supertankers separately earlier on Thursday. Read: IRGC says two supertankers disabled in Hormuz

Separately, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) said in reports on Thursday that a vessel was hit by an unidentified projectile about 14 nautical miles northwest of the UAE emirate of Ras Al-Khaimah on Wednesday while exiting the strait, causing a fire in its engine room, Reuters reported. Awaaz Punjab has reported separately on the evacuation of the tanker MT Dominica Prosperity's 22 crew — including 19 Indian seafarers, all safe — off Mina Saqr in Ras Al-Khaimah.

The Dominica Prosperity evacuation, involving 19 Indian seafarers, was reported earlier on Thursday. Read: 22 crew evacuated from tanker off Mina Saqr

A waterway under repeated attack

At least 10 ships were hit in the first 10 days of November, after 37 attacks in October — the highest monthly tally since the conflict began in late February — according to data from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy cited by Reuters. In several of those cases, UKMTO has said vessels were struck by unknown projectiles.

The Strait of Hormuz, between Iran and Oman, normally carries roughly a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied gas shipments. Iran has controlled transit through it since the United States and Israel launched the war on February 28, 2026, requiring prior authorisation and confining safe passage to designated northern corridors, according to Iranian statements; southern routes near Omani waters have been declared unauthorised and mined. A ceasefire that took effect on April 8 collapsed in early July, and the US naval blockade of Iranian ports remains in force.

Oil markets and the Trump factor

Oil prices edged higher on Thursday. Brent futures were up 65 cents at $93.40 a barrel at 1425 GMT and US West Texas Intermediate was up 1 cent at $86.54, Reuters reported, after President Trump's Thursday post — that the United States does not need a deal with Iran and has 'got their Strait' — pushed Brent above $94 earlier in the day.

Trump's Thursday post pulling Vice President JD Vance off the Iran file was reported earlier today. Read: Trump says US does not need a deal with Iran

Why it matters for Punjabi and Indian readers

Indian seafarers crew many of the tankers moving through the Gulf — 19 of the 22 crew evacuated from the Dominica Prosperity this week are Indian — and every escalation in the strait feeds into fuel, freight and food prices in India and into the cost of living for the large Punjabi and Indian workforce across the Gulf states. None of the vessels in Thursday's army claim has been named, so there is no information yet on whether any Indian crew were aboard.

What happens next

Watch for: any UKMTO or Joint Maritime Information Center report matching the Thursday-afternoon claim; the names, flags and owners of the two tankers; any US Central Command response; and whether Brent holds above $93 when Asian markets open on Friday. Awaaz Punjab will update this story if the claim is independently confirmed or contradicted.