Iran's IRGC says two oil tankers and a tugboat caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said two oil tankers and a tugboat caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz on November 5. The account has not been independently verified.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on November 5, 2026 that two oil tankers and a tugboat had caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz. The statement was carried by Iranian state media and later relayed by international agencies. The details rest largely on the IRGC's own account and have not been fully confirmed by independent sources.
What happened
According to the IRGC, the first tanker struck a mine while crossing what the Guard called an "unauthorised" passage south of the strait, caught fire and came to a halt. A second, larger tanker was engulfed in flames in the eastern part of the strait. A tugboat that approached to help extinguish the fire also caught fire. The Guard tied the blazes to vessels using mined, unauthorised routes. No information was given on casualties, the tankers' names and flags, or any oil spill.
Why the Strait of Hormuz matters
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow sea passage linking the Persian Gulf to the open ocean and is one of the central arteries of the global oil trade. By common estimates, roughly one-fifth of the world's consumed oil passes through it. Since the Iran war that began on February 28, 2026, shipping through the strait has been restricted several times and international outlets have noted a rise in incidents involving tankers.
No independent confirmation
Reuters and other agencies stressed that the reporting rests on the IRGC's own statement and has not been independently verified. In the same statement the Guard also claimed to have captured two drones it said belonged to the US military; that claim was made by Iran alone. California Uzbek reports the event strictly within verified facts and with its sources cited.
The IRGC statement
In its statement the Guard criticised Western shipping and said: "Had vessels not been incited to pass through mined passages, these heavy losses would not have occurred." The statement added to Iran's series of warnings about traffic through the strait.
