Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Thursday that two oil tankers and a tugboat had caught fire in separate incidents in the Strait of Hormuz after attempting to use unauthorised routes through the waterway, Reuters reported.

Source: Reuters

In a statement carried by Iran's official IRNA news agency, the IRGC said a large oil tanker struck a mine on Wednesday night while passing through what it described as an unauthorised route south of the strait. The explosion reportedly caused the vessel to catch fire and come to a halt.

In a second incident, the Guards said a supertanker caught fire while departing a designated route in the eastern section of the strait, and a tugboat that approached the tanker to help extinguish the blaze also caught fire.

The IRGC gave no details on possible casualties, the extent of the damage, or the identities of the vessels involved, and the claims could not be independently verified. Awaaz Punjab is reporting this as an Iranian claim, not as a confirmed attack on named ships.

The Guards accused the United States of encouraging commercial vessels to disregard maritime restrictions and navigate routes that allegedly contain naval mines, and warned that such actions could raise maritime insurance costs for the United States and its regional allies. Washington had not confirmed the incidents in the reports available at the time of publication.

The IRGC also claimed its naval electronic-warfare unit had taken control of two Lucas-type drones it described as intruding into Iranian-controlled areas — a separate claim that likewise had no independent confirmation in the reports.

This is the second such claim in two days. On Wednesday the Guards said four tankers had hit mines south of the strait and that two other vessels had been seized. Read the earlier report

The Strait of Hormuz, between Iran and Oman, is one of the world's most important energy chokepoints, normally carrying about one-fifth of global oil and natural-gas supplies. Shipping through it has been repeatedly disrupted since the war between the United States, Israel and Iran began on February 28, with a ceasefire in April and fighting resuming in July as diplomacy stalled.

Oil markets were already volatile before the latest claim: Brent crude had fallen to $95.22 a barrel on Wednesday, down from $117.67 on October 30, the Washington Post reported, as traders weighed the US midterm results and the chances of further US strikes on Iran. A verified new shipping incident would risk reversing that fall.

For the lakhs of Indian and Punjabi workers in the Gulf — including seafarers on tankers crossing the strait — the practical risks are higher insurance, rerouted voyages and port delays. No casualties among crew were reported in the IRGC statement on Thursday's claimed incidents.

What happens next: watch for any confirmation or denial from the UK Maritime Trade Operations centre and US Central Command, for shipping-company advisories, and for whether tanker traffic through the strait slows in the coming hours.