A fresh maritime crisis is unfolding in the Strait of Hormuz after Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported that two oil tankers struck naval mines and caught fire while attempting to cross an unauthorised shipping route. In a video posted on X, IRIB cited Iran`s Navy Public Relations office, claiming that the vessels were travelling with US fighter-jet support without coordinating their passage with Iranian authorities. Iranian sources further claimed that firefighting operations failed to extinguish the blazes, leaving the tankers burning in the strategic waterway. The allegations have intensified questions over maritime security, American military involvement and Tehran`s restrictions on commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The incident comes amid escalating tensions between Iran and the United States, with the strategically important waterway remaining a major flashpoint for international shipping and global energy supplies.
