Iran's naval forces say seven ships are burning or stopped in the world's most important oil waterway — four hit by their own forces while transferring oil in the Persian Gulf, three more stopped by mines near Hormuz — and they are warning Washington that the confrontation could spread to American bases across the region.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said on Thursday that its forces struck four vessels in the northern Persian Gulf and set them ablaze, and that three other vessels struck mines west of the Strait of Hormuz — a claim carried by Iranian state media and reported by Reuters.
According to the IRGC Navy's statement, its forces tracked four vessels that had previously used what it calls unauthorized routes through the Strait of Hormuz, and found them transferring oil cargoes from ship to ship in the northern central Persian Gulf. "All four ships were hit simultaneously and caught fire," the statement said, as reported by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting. The force said the three other vessels struck mines on Wednesday night and were stopped.
The statement blamed the United States for the incidents, accusing Washington of encouraging ships to pass through a mined, unauthorized passage. "The insistence of the arrogant US regime on inciting ships to pass through the illegally mined passage has increased maritime incidents day by day," it said.
Then came the warning, addressed directly to the American military: "The aggressive US army should know that if this trend continues, the scope of the confrontation will be extended to the aggressive bases in the region. This is a serious warning."
"If this trend continues, the scope of the confrontation will be extended to the aggressive bases in the region. This is a serious warning."
The statement did not identify the vessels, their owners or their flags, and reported no casualties. The claims have not been independently confirmed, and the U.S. military had not publicly responded to Thursday's statement as of publication. The IRGC has said since October 9 that vessels using unauthorized passages would be pursued throughout the region, not only in the strait itself, and Tehran maintains its forces have managed and controlled the Strait of Hormuz since February 28. Oil markets reacted Thursday morning: Brent crude rose $2.82 to $111.64 a barrel, according to Reuters.
President Trump, asked on Wednesday about Iran, told NewsNation the United States is not negotiating with Tehran. "No, I think we're not negotiating — we are going to have something, one way or the other. It'll happen fairly soon," he said, adding: "We're doing very well militarily and financially against Iran." Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, addressing his parliament, conceded his country faces "a super-challenge, not a challenge," but insisted: "We stood firm, and we will continue to stand firm."
Seven vessels in a single night, by Tehran's account, in the waterway that carries a significant share of the world's oil — and a warning, now in writing, that American bases are next in line if the ships keep coming.