Strait of Hormuz: IRGC claims tanker hit a mine as ship attacks hit a record

In the early hours of Saturday, 17 October 2026, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that a tanker carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil exploded and caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz after hitting a naval mine. According to the IRGC, the ship was trying to pass along a route the Islamic Republic considers "unauthorised". The IRGC did not give the tanker's name, flag or owner, and as of publication no independent body, from US Central Command to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), has confirmed the incident.

The claim comes in a week when attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waters have reached their highest level since the war began. According to UKMTO data reviewed by BBC Verify, 12 ships were attacked between 5 and 11 October, the most in a single week since the US and Israel's war with the Islamic Republic began. The week before, 10 ships had been targeted, and on Sunday, 11 October alone, six ships were attacked. At least four more attacks have been reported in the week that began on 12 October.

A repeated pattern of IRGC mine claims

The IRGC has previously accused ships passing along the route close to Oman's coast of using an "unauthorised route". This is the same route that most tankers from the Arab states of the Persian Gulf now use under US escort; the Islamic Republic wants ships to pass along a route close to the coast it controls.

On Tuesday, 13 October, the container ship "GFS Pride" sank in the Strait of Hormuz after being struck by an unidentified projectile, and all 21 crew were evacuated safely. The IRGC claimed the ship had hit a mine and was carrying "2,500 containers of smuggled goods". US Central Command (CENTCOM) called the IRGC's account "false" the next day, said the ship sank while being towed toward shore, and stressed that the strait's main shipping lanes are clear of mines. CENTCOM had earlier also rejected three other IRGC claims about the Strait of Hormuz, and a few days ago the Islamic Republic's army navy made a similar claim about a tanker catching fire in the Sea of Oman, which found no independent confirmation.

Oil flow through the Strait of Hormuz falls again

Preliminary data from Kpler shows that about 12.6 million barrels of oil per day passed through the Strait of Hormuz on 13 October; that is below 15 million barrels in late September and far below the roughly 17 million barrels before the war. The Islamic Republic's own oil exports also remain effectively halted under the US naval blockade.

Martin Kelly, chief executive of the risk analysis firm Orbital, says the Islamic Republic has changed its strategy and is trying to stop ships and deter others from passing with near-daily attacks. By contrast, US Navy data shows the number of ships receiving navigation assistance in the first 10 days of October was 85 percent higher than in the same period in August. CENTCOM commander Brad Cooper also said recently that 400 commercial ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz in one week.

The IRGC has once again blamed a tanker explosion on a mine, with no ship name and no independent confirmation, in a week when attacks on ships set a record.