World · Middle East · 1 hr ago
Iran says two tankers carrying over 4 million barrels caught fire in Hormuz
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say two oil tankers caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday.
They said the ships were carrying over four million barrels of oil and were immobilized after a violent explosion.
The Guards called the incident an accident but did not explain what caused it.
Iran has restricted shipping through the strait, insisting vessels use routes it approves, as war with the United States and Israel continues.
The United States has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports and helped tankers pass through the strait, which normally carries about one-fifth of global oil.
Iran has recently said other ships caught fire on routes it considers unauthorized, often blaming mines, while the U.S. military says mines have been cleared.
The fire adds risk to a vital oil-shipping route, but no next steps for the tankers were given.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said two tankers carrying more than four million barrels of oil caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Guards said the tankers were on an unauthorized southern route and were hit by a violent explosion.
They did not specify what caused the accident.
Iran has restricted shipping through the strait during the war, while the United States has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports and helped tankers transit the channel.
- Who
- Iran’s Revolutionary Guards reported the incident involving two tankers.
- What
- The Guards said the tankers caught fire after an accident and a violent explosion.
- When
- The Guards said it happened last night; their statement was reported on Thursday, November 12, 2026.
- Where
- The Strait of Hormuz, on what Iran described as an unauthorized southern maritime route.
- Why
- The Guards said the vessels were using a prohibited route. They did not specify the cause of the accident.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards
United States military
Route through the strait
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards
The Guards said the tankers violated regulations by using an unauthorized and dangerous route.
United States military
The articles say the United States has helped tankers travel through the strait, but do not state its view of this particular route.
Cause and safety
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards
The Guards blamed the incident on vessels’ “blind trust” in the American military and said the tankers were hit by a violent explosion.
United States military
The US military recently claimed all mines had been cleared from the strait; the articles do not report a US response to the tanker fires.
The Revolutionary Guards said three tankers had caught fire while traveling on routes Iran considers off-limits.
Iran said another tanker caught fire after striking a mine on a route Tehran described as unauthorized.
The Guards said two tankers caught fire after an accident on an unauthorized route in the strait.
The Guards’ account of the two tanker fires was reported by the outlets.
- Tankers
- 2
- Oil cargo
- More than 4 million barrels combined
- Location
- Strait of Hormuz
- Route
- Southern maritime route described by Iran as unauthorized
- Report date
- November 12, 2026
3 sources
What people are saying
Last night, two tankers - acting in violation of regulations and despite repeated warnings from the Revolutionary Guards Navy regarding the unauthorised and dangerous nature of the southern maritime route - were involved in an accident while traversing this prohibited path in the strait
These two supertankers were carrying a combined total of over four million barrels of oil, which are now ablaze — a consequence of the blind trust placed in the aggressive American military
Posts on X
Videos of the explosion of violating oil tankers after hitting mines in the unauthorized route of the Strait of Hormuz