STRAIT OF HORMUZ, October 17, 2026 — Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said on Saturday that a second oil supertanker carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil exploded and burst into flames after striking a naval mine in the Strait of Hormuz, marking a dangerous new escalation in the battle over the world’s most important energy chokepoint.
The statement, published by the IRGC’s official outlet Sepah News and quoted by the semi-official Tasnim news agency, said the vessel had attempted to cross the strait through what it called an “unauthorised” route earlier in the day.
Vessel went “dark” before the blast, IRGC says
According to the IRGC Navy, the tanker had switched off its positioning and radar systems in an attempt to slip through the strait undetected, and was acting with the support of the US military. State media reported that the mine strike triggered a massive explosion in the vessel’s engine room, leaving the supertanker immobilised and ablaze.
The IRGC did not identify the vessel, and gave no information about its crew, any casualties, or the extent of environmental damage from the reported fire.
Third tanker hit since Friday
The force warned that the Strait of Hormuz remained closed under Tehran’s rules, declaring that any vessel violating Iran’s regulations governing passage through the waterway would face consequences.
The incident is the second naval-mine strike claimed by the IRGC in a matter of hours. It followed an earlier announcement on Saturday that a first supertanker, also carrying more than two million barrels of crude, had been struck by a mine and caught fire on an unauthorised route through the strait.
Al Jazeera’s live coverage noted that three tankers have now been reported hit in the Strait of Hormuz since Friday, with the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency separately reporting that one vessel was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade fired from a small boat.
The claims come days after the IRGC said a container ship attempting an “unauthorised and high-risk” passage through the strait sank on Wednesday after striking a naval mine.
Energy markets on edge
The Strait of Hormuz historically handles nearly a fifth of the world’s petroleum supply, and every new incident in the waterway sends fresh jitters through global energy markets.
US President Donald Trump has claimed that the US Navy’s “effective” blockade has stopped all Iranian ships from transiting the strait, while the US and its regional allies have rejected Iran’s restrictions and insisted on freedom of navigation through the channel.
IRGC Navy Commander Ali Azmaei said earlier this week that his forces were controlling the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz “round the clock,” warning that vessels acting under what he called US “deception or provocation” would face a decisive response.
As of Saturday evening, diplomatic efforts to reopen the waterway remained stalled, with talks between Tehran and Washington at a standstill — and commercial shipping companies facing the starkest threat environment in the Gulf in years.
[…] Third mine strike in three days […]