Iran says two tankers catch fire after hitting mines in Strait of Hormuz

The vessels, each carrying about two million barrels of crude oil, used an unauthorised route, the IRGC says.

Al JazeeraAl Jazeera Staff2026-10-18 01:54查看原文 ↗

The vessels, each carrying about two million barrels of crude oil, used an unauthorised route, the IRGC says.

A satellite image shows containers and items floating in the water after a vessel sank near the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Oman, on October 14, 2026 [European Union/Copernicus Sentinel-2 handout via Reuters]

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has said two oil tankers, each carrying about two million barrels of crude oil, caught fire after hitting naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

The first tanker hit a mine, triggering an explosion and a “fierce fire”, the IRGC said on Saturday, while the second tanker hit a mine that engulfed it “in a massive blaze”, Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported.

list 1 of 3 Iran steps up Hormuz surveillance: Attacks soar, oil flows crash again

list 2 of 3 US-Iran stalemate: What are Trump’s next military options?

list 3 of 3 Trump rules out using a nuclear bomb on Iran: Why that matters

Information about the ships’ names or the origin of their cargo was not immediately available.

IRNA said the vessels had switched off their positioning and radar systems and tried to use a route not authorised by Iran.

The IRGC also claimed that while one tanker tried to cross the waterway “with US support”, the second vessel was left immobilised.

Iran seized control of the Strait of Hormuz after the US-Israeli war on the country began in late February. Tehran has since demanded that all ships seek its authorisation before transiting. About one-fifth of global oil consumption transited the waterway before the war.

This week, IRGC naval commander Rear Admiral Ali Azmaei warned that any vessel that deactivated its navigation systems would be considered “hostile”.

The United States has imposed its own naval counter-blockade on Iranian oil exports.

Iran’s army earlier said that two tankers caught fire on Thursday and Friday in Tehran’s “prohibited zone” in the Gulf of Oman.

Maritime monitors also reported two tankers struck in Gulf waters off Saudi Arabia on Friday.

Last Sunday, six vessels were attacked in or near the Strait of Hormuz, the most in a single day since the war began, according to security firm Vanguard, the International Maritime Organization and the UK maritime agency UKMTO.

Attacks around the waterway have surged over the past two weeks, with Iran saying it is stepping up strikes in response to the US blockade of its ports and tougher sanctions imposed last month.

Nearly 20.8 million barrels of oil passed through on October 8, but only 2.9 million on October 11, according to Kpler data.

The disruption has pushed up global energy prices and inflation.

US President Donald Trump has explicitly ruled out using a nuclear weapon against Iran. “I wouldn’t use nuclear,” he told the Newsmax news site in an interview on Thursday.

Trump said that he was also not considering putting troops on the ground in Iran. “No, I don’t see that, I don’t see it,” he said, adding he believes a deal to end the war will be reached after the November 3 US midterm elections.

伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队称，这些船只每艘载有约 200 万桶原油，使用了未经授权的航线。

2026年10月14日，一艘船只在阿曼海岸附近的霍尔木兹海峡沉没后，卫星图像显示集装箱和物品漂浮在水中。[欧盟/哥白尼哨兵-2号卫星通过路透社提供]

伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队（IRGC）表示，两艘载有约200万桶原油的油轮在霍尔木兹海峡触雷后起火。

伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队周六表示，第一艘油轮触雷，引发爆炸和“猛烈大火”；伊朗官方通讯社伊通社报道称，第二艘油轮触雷后被“大火”吞噬。

伊朗加强霍尔木兹海峡监控：袭击事件激增，石油运输量再次暴跌（共3条，第1条）

美伊僵局之二（共三部分）：特朗普的下一步军事选项是什么？

特朗普排除对伊朗使用核武器的可能性：这为何重要

目前尚无法获得有关船名或货物来源的信息。

伊朗伊斯兰共和国通讯社（IRNA）称，这些船只关闭了定位和雷达系统，并试图使用未经伊朗授权的航线。

伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队还声称，虽然一艘油轮试图“在美国的支持下”穿越该水道，但第二艘油轮却被困住了。

2月底美以对伊战争爆发后，伊朗控制了霍尔木兹海峡。此后，德黑兰要求所有船只在通过该海峡前必须获得其许可。战前，全球约五分之一的石油消耗量经由该水道运输。

本周，伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队海军司令阿里·阿兹迈伊少将警告说，任何关闭导航系统的船只都将被视为“敌对行为”。