IRGC reports tanker damage in Hormuz and warns Washington
Iran's Revolutionary Guard said seven oil tankers were damaged in the Strait of Hormuz, with four catching fire and three disabled by mines. The claim could not be independently confirmed, and the IRGC warned it might strike US bases if Washington assists ships using other parts of the strait. President Trump dismissed the reports as an effort to raise oil prices before US midterm elections.
The IRGC said Thursday that four tankers were moving oil when they were hit and set alight overnight, while three others stopped after striking mines. It gave no casualty or flag details, and the claim was not independently confirmed. The Guard warned that U.S. bases in the region could be targeted if Washington helped ships use other parts of the strait.
Washington rejected the account. Trump said Tehran was fabricating incidents to lift crude prices before the midterms and asserted that more oil was moving through Hormuz than before the conflict. A CENTCOM spokesperson, speaking anonymously, disputed the assertion about mines, said lanes had been cleared, and put vessel transit at 95 percent.
The reported attacks and warnings could heighten risks for commercial crews and port workers in the Gulf, while uncertainty over tanker traffic may feed into insurance and fuel costs that affect households and businesses beyond the region. If tit-for-tat threats expand toward U.S. bases, regional populations may face greater insecurity; however, conflicting claims make the practical scale hard to assess.