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Iran's Guard says four tankers destroyed by mines near Strait of Hormuz, two vessels seized

Strait of Hormuz • November 4, 2026 • By Press Pass USA

Editorial illustration: large oil tankers in a narrow sea strait at dawn, one vessel burning with thick black smoke rising

Editorial illustration — Press Pass USA

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Wednesday that four oil tankers were destroyed after striking naval mines while trying to cross a route it described as prohibited south of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important oil shipping lanes — and that two other vessels were seized.

In a statement carried by Iran's official IRNA news agency, the Guard said the four tankers caught fire after the explosions and remained ablaze, Reuters reported. The statement did not name the vessels, give their flags or owners, or provide information about their crews, and the claims have not been independently verified.

The Guard said the tankers were attempting to use a passage south of the strait that Iranian authorities had declared off-limits, and that the two additional vessels were detained for violating maritime restrictions in the strategic waterway. No independent confirmation from the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations agency, U.S. Central Command, a flag state, an insurer or a shipping tracker had been reported as of Wednesday morning.

In a separate claim in the same statement, the Guard said its air defense units shot down a U.S.-made MQ-9 drone over the Strait of Hormuz at about 4:30 a.m. local time. That claim also has not been independently verified.

Separately, the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations agency did confirm a different incident on Tuesday, November 3: a tanker was struck by two unidentified projectiles in its engine room about 14 nautical miles northeast of Lima, Oman. Shipping reports identified that vessel as the Barbados-flagged very large crude carrier Grit, which had reportedly been placed on an Iranian blacklist earlier in the week. Projectiles are not mines, and no link between Tuesday's strike and Wednesday's mine claims has been established.

The claims mark a sharp escalation in the campaign against commercial shipping around the strait, where Iran has tightened its grip since February, barring safe passage for vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States. They follow a similar, also unverified claim on November 1, when the Guard said two tankers exploded after hitting mines on an unauthorized route through the strait.

Oil markets have been watching the waterway closely: OilPrice reported Wednesday that crude flows through the region have dipped from recent highs as attacks on vessels intensify. Iranian negotiators left Doha on Sunday after a third day of talks with Qatari mediators aimed at a deal to end the U.S.-Iran war, with a proposal to reopen the strait within two days of an agreement still under discussion.

Sources: Reuters (Nov. 4, 2026), via syndication; IRNA statement as reported by Reuters, Anadolu Agency and OilPrice (Nov. 4, 2026); Safety4Sea on the UKMTO-confirmed November 3 projectile strike (Nov. 4, 2026); The Chronicle on the MQ-9 drone claim (Nov. 4, 2026). The mine-strike, seizure and drone claims are attributed to Iran's Revolutionary Guard and have not been independently verified.