Two tankers 'exploded' after striking 'naval mines' in the Strait of Hormuz, the IRGC Navy claims; no vessel is named and nothing independent confirms it

This is a claim by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy. No independent source has confirmed it.

The IRGC Navy’s public relations office said two oil tankers “exploded” after striking “naval mines” while crossing what it called an “unauthorized route” in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Reuters, Tasnim, Press TV and Xinhua. Xinhua said the statement was published on Sepah News, the IRGC’s news outlet, and the first public reports of it came from about 8pm GMT on Sunday 1 November.

What the IRGC said

• One of the vessels is a supertanker, which the IRGC said was “engulfed in flames following a powerful explosion” and still burning.
• Both ships had switched off their navigation and identification systems and ignored warnings, the statement said, and it alleged they were trying to pass covertly “with the support” of the US military.
• It said both vessels had stopped where they were, and that the owners bear responsibility.

What is not stated

The statement does not name either tanker or give its flag, owner, cargo or position, beyond the strait. It gives no casualty figures and no exact time for the incident, and it does not say who placed the “mines”. Press TV said the IRGC had released video of the incidents; we have not been able to verify it.

What independent sources have said

• UKMTO, the UK maritime security agency, issued a warning at 3:09pm GMT on Sunday that the master of a merchant vessel had relayed a Mayday call saying another vessel in the Strait of Hormuz had been struck by an “unknown projectile”. It gave no vessel name, type, position or cause beyond that. It is a separate report, and nothing in it links it to the IRGC’s statement.
• As of about 12:45am GMT on Monday, we had found no statement from UKMTO, the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) or the US military on the two tankers in the IRGC’s statement.

Earlier claims of this kind

The IRGC has made similar announcements repeatedly, including our report on 29 October. On the IRGC’s 17 October claim about two supertankers, JMIC said there was “no substantiation”, gCaptain reported. gCaptain listed comparable IRGC claims on 18 July, 31 August, 2 September, 10, 12, 17 and 20 October, none naming a vessel or independently confirmed as of 20 October.

On 28 October the US Central Command (CENTCOM) rejected as false reports circulated by what it called “Iranian-controlled media” of commercial ships being struck in the strait, and said US forces had cleared the internationally recognised primary transit routes and that they remain clear, according to Gulf News. The IRGC says the tankers used a route it has not authorised.

Oil prices

Brent crude was at $111.84 a barrel at 12:11am GMT on Monday, down $1.59 or 1.4%, and US crude was at $102.56, down 1.5%, Reuters reported. It attributed the fall to a third day of Iran-Qatar talks on ending the war and “the absence of any meaningful military escalation over the weekend”.