Iran Says 7 Oil Tankers Hit In One Night In Strait Of Hormuz As Fears Of Return To War Grow

Iran has claimed that seven oil tankers caught fire or were damaged overnight in the Strait of Hormuz after being hit by Iranian forces or striking naval mines.

Iranian state television reported the incidents on Thursday, October 22, citing the navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The Associated Press could not independently confirm the claims. The report did not mention any casualties, and the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) had not reported the latest incidents.

Iran also warned that US military bases in the Middle East could be targeted if American forces continue helping commercial ships pass through the strait.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned that the conflict could spread to US military bases in the region if Washington continued assisting commercial vessels. The statement was published on the Guards’ Sepah News website.

The United States has increased naval escorts for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz while continuing its blockade of Iranian ports, according to the supplied reports.

The incidents have not been independently confirmed. UKMTO has also reported that some shipping companies are becoming less willing to report attacks.

According to the Associated Press, October has seen more reported attacks on commercial ships than any month since March, when the war began with US and Israeli attacks on Iran.

Oil producers have managed to keep crude supplies moving, experts say, but doing so is becoming more expensive.

US President Donald Trump accused Iran on Thursday of trying to push up global oil prices ahead of next month’s US midterm elections.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Iran was making up reports of attacks and naval mines to drive prices higher. He also claimed that more oil was passing through the Strait of Hormuz than before the conflict began.

Trump called Iran a “truly evil regime” and said it must never be allowed to develop nuclear weapons. He also claimed that 75,000 protesters had died in less than seven months. That figure has not been independently verified in the supplied information.

The available reports do not independently confirm Trump’s allegations that Iran fabricated reports of attacks or naval mines.

The United States is sending more military assets to the Middle East, including a third aircraft carrier and thousands of troops, the Associated Press reported. The report described the deployment as part of the largest concentration of US warships and aircraft in the region in decades.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday that Tehran remained open to diplomatic talks but was ready to defend itself.

Iran has said it learned important military lessons from the war, which began on February 28 with US and Israeli attacks. In recent days, Tehran has also indicated that it could target infrastructure such as undersea cables and data centres.

Mediators are trying to bring the US and Iran back to formal negotiations, but talks remain stalled.

Iran continues to offer a proposal to end the war and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within a week if the United States meets its conditions. These include ending the US blockade of Iranian ports.

The conditions are similar to those in an agreement that collapsed within days of being signed by both sides in June. Trump rejected Iran’s seven-day proposal in late September, although both countries have acknowledged that indirect discussions are continuing.

References: NDTV, news18