Iran says seven ships hit in Hormuz Strait, warns US of wider response

The US has pushed back on the IRGC’s claims, dismissing them as an attempt to increase oil prices ahead of US elections.

Crude oil tankers, bulk carriers and vessels sit anchored near Qaboos Port in Muscat, Oman [File: Elke Scholiers / Getty]

Iran says that seven oil tankers have been struck and sustained damage in the Strait of Hormuz, the largest single-day toll for the waterway since the United States and Israel started their war against Iran on February 28.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement on Thursday that four of the vessels were transferring oil when they were targeted and caught fire overnight. The other three were disabled after striking mines.

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The claims could not be independently verified, and the report did not provide details about possible casualties or the tankers’ flags.

The IRGC also warned that it could strike US bases across the Middle East if Washington moves to help tankers transit other parts of the strait.

“The US military must know that if this trend continues, the conflict will extend to its bases in the region,” the IRGC said in a statement on its Sepah News website. “This is a serious warning.”

Iran claims control over Hormuz, a strategic shipping route through which one-fifth of the world’s oil supplies passed before war broke out. It regularly attacks ships that attempt to navigate the strait without its authorisation.

But the US military has been escorting vessels through the waterway in increasing numbers, with Iran responding by stepping up attacks.

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that “Iran is doing everything they can to drive up the price of oil prior to the US Midterm Election”.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, he added: “They are making up fake hits, mines, and everything else because more oil is coming through the Hormuz Strait now than it did even prior to the beginning of the conflict.”

A US Central Command spokesperson, speaking anonymously to Al Jazeera, also called Iran’s mine claims incorrect.

The spokesperson said US forces have cleared the international shipping lanes of mines and that Iran is using missiles and drones.

The strait remains open, the spokesperson said, with 95 percent of vessels getting through.

The attacks, the spokesperson added, show Tehran’s “desperation” under the US blockade, which cuts Iran off from the resources it needs to rebuild the military capabilities the US has said it destroyed.

Americans want ‘relief’ from war costs

“The number of ships and tankers attacked every single day is increasing, and Iran is saying it is continuing to do this because they are not going to allow any change in that situation,” said Al Jazeera’s Mohamed Vall, reporting from Tehran.

“They have full control over the Strait of Hormuz right now, they say.”

Vall said there is also talk in Tehran about an imminent escalation in the war, with the Iranians expecting the US to attack even before US midterm elections in early November.

“The IRGC army chief has boasted that Iran is more ready than anytime before, and has produced enough weapons and equipment to wage a symmetrical war against the United States,” he said.

Reporting from the US White House, Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett said: “Striking Iran does not appear to serve any Republican interests”, adding that pre-election polls tell the same story for Trump’s political party.

“What we’ve seen in surveys in recent months, and as of today, is that most Americans want relief from their tax money going to pay for any potential war with Iran that is ramped up,” Halkett said.

“There is real frustration over the rising cost for everyday Americans, given the rising fuel prices that have occurred as a result of this conflict … As a result, the US president is having to make the case.

“The pressure is on the president, and it’s not just from the opposition party,” she said. “It is also from within the Republican Party as well.”

美国驳斥了伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队的说法，称其是为了在美国大选前抬高油价。

原油油轮、散货船和船舶停泊在阿曼马斯喀特卡布斯港附近。[图片：Elke Scholiers / Getty]

伊朗称，霍尔木兹海峡有七艘油轮遭到袭击并受损，这是自美国和以色列于 2 月 28 日对伊朗发动战争以来，该水道单日损失最大的一次。

伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队（IRGC）周四发表声明称，四艘船只在夜间遭到袭击时正在运输石油，随后起火。另外三艘船只触雷后失去动力。

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这些说法无法得到独立核实，而且该报告没有提供有关可能伤亡或油轮船旗的详细信息。

伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队还警告说，如果华盛顿采取行动帮助油轮通过海峡其他地区，伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队可能会袭击美国在中东各地的基地。

伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队在其“塞帕新闻”网站上发表声明称：“美军必须明白，如果这种趋势继续下去，冲突将会蔓延到其在该地区的基地。这是一个严肃的警告。”

伊朗声称对霍尔木兹海峡拥有控制权。霍尔木兹海峡是一条战略要道，战前全球五分之一的石油供应都要经过这里。伊朗经常攻击未经其授权试图通过该海峡的船只。

但美军一直在增加护送船只通过该水道的次数，而伊朗则以加大袭击力度作为回应。

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普周四表示，“伊朗正在竭尽所能，试图在美国中期选举前推高石油价格”。

他在自己的 Truth Social 平台上发帖补充道：“他们捏造虚假袭击、地雷和其他一切，因为现在通过霍尔木兹海峡输送的石油比冲突开始之前还要多。”

美国中央司令部一位不愿透露姓名的发言人告诉半岛电视台，伊朗关于其拥有地雷的说法是不正确的。

发言人称，美军已清除国际航道上的水雷，伊朗正在使用导弹和无人机。

发言人表示，海峡仍然开放，95%的船只都能通过。

发言人补充说，这些袭击表明，在美国的封锁下，德黑兰“绝望了”。美国的封锁切断了伊朗重建其军事能力所需的资源，而美国声称已经摧毁了伊朗的军事能力。

美国人希望减轻战争成本负担。

“每天遭到袭击的船只和油轮数量都在增加，伊朗表示，他们之所以继续这样做，是因为他们不会允许这种情况发生任何改变，”半岛电视台记者穆罕默德·瓦尔在德黑兰报道说。

他们说：“他们现在完全控制了霍尔木兹海峡。”

瓦尔表示，德黑兰方面也有关于战争即将升级的讨论，伊朗方面预计美国甚至会在11月初的美国中期选举之前发动攻击。

他说：“伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队总司令吹嘘说，伊朗比以往任何时候都准备得更充分，已经生产了足够的武器装备，可以对美国发动一场对称战争。”

半岛电视台驻美国白宫记者金伯利·哈尔克特报道称：“打击伊朗似乎不符合共和党的任何利益”，并补充说，选前民调也表明特朗普所在的政党也面临同样的问题。

哈尔克特说：“近几个月的调查以及截至目前的情况表明，大多数美国人希望减轻税款用于支付任何可能升级的与伊朗的战争的费用。”

“鉴于这场冲突导致燃油价格上涨，普通美国民众对不断上涨的生活成本感到非常沮丧……因此，美国总统不得不对此做出解释。

“总统面临着巨大的压力，而且这种压力不仅来自反对党，”她说，“也来自共和党内部。”