Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy said four oil tankers caught fire and exploded in the Strait of Hormuz after entering routes it described as unauthorised. One statement said a vessel carrying more than two million barrels of crude struck a naval mine and remained ablaze.
Those claims could not be independently verified. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency separately reported that a crude tanker was struck by an unknown projectile while leaving the strait, and another vessel was hit on its port side south of Iran's Lavan Island.
UKMTO said the crew in the Lavan Island incident was safe and no environmental damage had been reported. It remained unclear whether either maritime notice referred to tankers included in the Iranian count, leaving the number, identities and condition of affected ships unresolved.
A separate security assessment said the Panama-flagged Louise 1 had been attacked with limpet mines attached by a small boat, causing an engine-room fire before the vessel resumed its voyage. No actor was publicly identified as responsible for that operation.
The strait carries roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies, so even limited attacks can alter insurance costs, routing decisions and energy prices. Congested lanes also make cheap, low-technology mines a serious threat because a small team can approach commercial traffic at close range.
Iranian state media additionally claimed Iranian forces captured a US drone near Qeshm Island and destroyed an American uncrewed surface vessel. US Central Command denied losing any sea drone and said all its uncrewed vessels in the region were accounted for.
The immediate priority is verified vessel identification, crew status, pollution monitoring and evidence about the weapons used. Until independent maritime authorities reconcile the reports, governments and markets must distinguish confirmed incidents from Iranian military claims, particularly amid heightened tension since the US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February.
