IRGC Says Two Tankers Caught Fire After Hitting Mines in Strait of Hormuz

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said two oil tankers, each carrying about two million barrels of crude, caught fire after hitting naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz. According to the IRGC statement carried by IRNA on Saturday, October 17, 2026, the first tanker hit a mine and suffered an explosion and a fierce fire, while the second was engulfed in a massive blaze. IRNA said the vessels had switched off their positioning and radar systems and tried to use a route not authorised by Iran. The ships' names and the origin of their cargo have not been given. Al Jazeera relays the IRGC account and offers no independent confirmation of what caused the fires; the incident matters for oil transit through the strait.