Tankers hit mines east of Hormuz as UKMTO reports Gulf tanker injuries

Iran’s military said two oil tankers caught fire after hitting sea mines in a restricted area east of the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said a large number of crew members were injured when an unidentified munition struck another tanker in the Gulf.

Iran’s military announced Thursday that two oil tankers caught fire after hitting sea mines in a restricted area east of the Strait of Hormuz, while the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) said a large number of crew members were injured when unidentified munitions struck another tanker in the Gulf.

The Public Relations Department of the Iranian army’s naval forces said in a statement that the incident occurred Thursday afternoon and that the two tankers had switched off their radar systems and entered the “restricted and unsafe” area despite repeated warnings. The statement first held the U.S. president responsible, followed by the shipowners who “trust his claims,” Iran’s Mehr news agency reported. The army did not disclose the names or flags of the two tankers or the extent of the damage and injuries.

Satellite image of the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and Oman’s Musandam Peninsula

The Strait of Hormuz separates Iran’s coast from Oman’s Musandam Peninsula. Under normal conditions, more than one-fifth of the world’s traded oil passes through it. Tehran considers the southern route close to the Omani side “illegal” and says vessels using it hit sea mines.

Revolutionary Guards: Two explosions halted two giant tankers

The army’s statement came hours after a separate announcement by the naval forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which said two giant tankers carrying more than 4 million barrels of oil combined were hit by two “massive” explosions on Wednesday night that brought them to a halt as they crossed the strait via the southern route, which Tehran describes as “unauthorized and unsafe.”

The Revolutionary Guards said the two tankers were “now burning because of their reliance on the U.S. military,” and threatened any vessel that switched off its navigation systems and crossed the southern route in cooperation with U.S. forces with “the same fate.” The statement did not clarify whether the explosions were caused by mines or a direct attack, Anadolu reported. Mehr described the tankers later announced by the army as “two additional tankers.”

UKMTO: Injuries in an attack on a tanker in the Gulf

UKMTO said it had received a delayed report of an incident on November 10, in which a munition of undetermined type struck a tanker sailing eastward in the Gulf, injuring a large number of crew members who were taken ashore for treatment. It added that the remaining crew members were safe and that there was still no assessment of the extent of the damage or the potential environmental impact, while the relevant authorities had opened an investigation.

Oil tanker off Bandar Abbas in the Strait of Hormuz - archive photo from September 2026

The agency said a second tanker was struck in its engine room on Wednesday about 14 nautical miles northwest of Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates. Its crew was safely evacuated without any injuries being reported, while firefighting operations continued. In a later update Thursday evening, the agency announced that another tanker had been struck by an unidentified projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz and reclassified the incident as an “attack,” confirming that all crew members were safe without disclosing the tanker’s identity, flag or the source of the projectile.

134 attacks since February

Iran had announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz again on July 12, following the resumption of U.S. attacks on July 8, and threatened to target vessels crossing outside the route it had designated or “without permission.” According to the International Maritime Organization, commercial vessels in the area have faced 134 attacks since the war began in February, killing 25 sailors. Data compiled by Anadolu shows that at least 50 attacks occurred during the past 42 days.

The incidents coincided with U.S. President Donald Trump saying Thursday that his country no longer needed an agreement with Iran, adding: “We took its money, hundreds of millions of dollars, and we took the Strait of Hormuz.” UKMTO urged vessels transiting the area to sail cautiously and report any suspicious activity.

Photos: Anadolu (archive, September 2026), NASA

Tankers hit mines east of Hormuz as UKMTO reports Gulf tanker injuries