World · Middle East · 6 hrs ago
Iranian Guards Report Mine Explosions on Two Tankers
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said two tankers hit sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz, including a reported incident overnight and another on Saturday.
The Guards said the latest blast was a powerful explosion in a supertanker’s engine room, leaving the vessel stopped.
The exact location of that incident was not immediately known.
The Strait of Hormuz, between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula, is a key route for global oil and liquefied gas trade.
The strait has become a central point of conflict between Iran and the United States, with Iran restricting shipping and the US blockading Iranian ports and coastal areas.
The reports add to recent attacks on ships in the region, but no further steps or response to the latest incident were stated.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said a supertanker hit a sea mine and suffered an explosion in its engine room, bringing the vessel to a stop.
The Guards did not specify the incident’s exact location, though Reuters’ headline placed it in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Guards had reported a similar incident overnight.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency separately reported two attacks on tankers near Saudi Arabia on Friday, hundreds of kilometres from the Strait.
US Central Command had previously rejected a similar Guards claim about a mine explosion involving the tanker El Gaia.
- Who
- Iran’s Revolutionary Guards reported the incident involving a supertanker.
- What
- The Guards said the tanker hit a sea mine and an explosion in its engine room brought it to a stop.
- When
- The report was made on October 17, 2026.
- Where
- The exact location was not stated. Reuters’ headline said the incident was in the Strait of Hormuz.
- Why
- Not stated
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards
US Central Command
Mine incident
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards
The Guards said a sea mine exploded on the tanker El Gaia.
US Central Command
Centcom rejected the Guards’ similar claim, saying the tanker had been hit by an Iranian missile the previous month and attacked by a drone the previous weekend.
Centcom said the tanker El Gaia had been hit by an Iranian missile.
Centcom said Iran had attacked El Gaia with a drone.
The Guards reported a similar incident involving a tanker.
The Guards said another supertanker hit a sea mine and stopped after an engine-room explosion.
- Reported incident
- Supertanker hit a sea mine, according to the Guards
- Damage
- Explosion in the engine room
- Consequence
- Vessel came to a stop
- Location
- Exact location not stated
- Separate reports
- UKMTO reported two tanker attacks near Saudi Arabia on Friday
- Earlier vessel
- El Gaia was the subject of a previous, disputed mine-explosion claim
3 sources
What people are saying
massive explosion in the engine room