In brief
The IRGC reported that on the night of November 4 the third of three vessels in the Strait of Hormuz caught fire after hitting informal "illegal and unauthorized" mines, and that a tugboat assisting the blaze also ignited. In a separate operation the IRGC seized two low‑cost uncrewed combat drones it described as "invading." The incident follows Iran’s February 28 tightening of strait controls that barred vessels tied to the United States and Israel.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Thursday that three vessels, including two supertankers, caught fire while crossing the Strait of Hormuz on the night of November 4. IRGC said the ships were traveling through an "illegal and unauthorized" route south of the waterway when they allegedly struck naval mines, prompting the fires.
One incident involved an oil tanker that burst into flames after hitting mines; a second tanker, also leaving the strait via the same route, was immobilized after catching fire east of the waterway. A tugboat that had approached the blaze to help extinguish it also ignited, the statement added.
In a separate operation, members of the IRGC’s naval electronic‑warfare unit claimed to have taken control of two "invading" low‑cost uncrewed combat drones and landed them unharmed. The IRGC said the drones were a threat to the strait’s security.
The agency accused the United States government of pushing "very heavy" insurance costs on American taxpayers and West Asian allies by urging vessels to enter the mined route. It also countered U.S. accusations, saying that Iran had “seized” the two drones as retaliation.
Iran intensified its grip on the strait on February 28, after joint Israel‑U.S. strikes on Iranian territory, by barring safe passage for vessels belonging to or affiliated with the two nations. The current incident underscores the tightened controls that have made the southern route a frequent target for IRGC claims of sabotage.
