IRGC Reports Tankers Hitting Mines South of Hormuz and a US Drone Downed

In a statement published on the morning of Wednesday, November 4, 2026 (13 Aban 1405), the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps public relations office said four tankers attempting to cross what it calls a prohibited passage south of the Strait of Hormuz were destroyed after hitting sea mines and are still burning. It said two other vessels were stopped. The statement says IRGC air defence shot down a fifty-sixth US MQ-9 drone over the strait at 04:30 that morning.

This is the IRGC's own account, and no independent confirmation of the ships' names, flags or damage was found in the sources reviewed at the time of writing. The IRGC had previously reported two other tankers hitting mines on the same route. The Strait of Hormuz carries a large share of the world's oil and gas, making continued incidents relevant to marine insurance, shipping and energy prices.