Hormuz Tankers: Iran Says Three Ships Hit Mines
The Revolutionary Guard reports three burning tankers, Iran's army a fourth. Britain's UKMTO confirms only a projectile strike, and Vance has written to Rezaei.
The navy of the Revolutionary Guard said on Thursday, October 29, that three oil tankers exploded and caught fire over the previous 24 hours after hitting mines in the Strait of Hormuz. A large share of the world’s oil and gas passes through the strait, so any incident there shows up at once in energy prices, and fuel prices in Serbia follow them. We previously reported on Brent jumping to 115 dollars and the Houthi claim that they struck a refinery, and this is a new turn in the same conflict.
What does Iran claim, and what is confirmed?
According to the Revolutionary Guard’s statement, the tankers were trying to leave the strait by the so-called unapproved southern route, with radar and navigation switched off, and ignored warnings from the Iranian navy. Responsibility was shifted to the ship owners and crews. Iran’s regular navy separately reported one more tanker which, it says, was set on fire after hitting mines east of the strait and can no longer sail. That is why Iran’s armed forces speak of at least four ships, while the Guard names three.
Iran did not name a single vessel, give flags or report casualties, and the Associated Press could not independently confirm the claims.
The British maritime operations center UKMTO confirmed something different: at about 16:00 GMT, a tanker leaving the strait by the southern route backed by the United States was hit by an unknown projectile. No one in the crew was hurt, and the attack was not attributed to Iran. UKMTO also reported a dhow on fire about nine nautical miles north of Khasab in Oman. It listed, sank, and the crew was evacuated.
Washington recommends the southern route to shippers, while Tehran insists that vessels use only the northern lanes it approves.
Who says the routes are clear?
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) maintains that the main shipping lanes through the strait have been cleared of mines. Its commander, Admiral Brad Cooper, said as much back in late August:
“The internationally recognized transit routes in the strait are free of Iranian sea mines.”
Brigadier General Abolfazl Mohebi, a Revolutionary Guard spokesman, answered in a post addressed to Central Command: “Prove your claim about clearing mines in the Strait of Hormuz with independent evidence, not with a statement!”
The same day, Iranian state television claimed the Guard used electronic warfare to take control of an American MQM-170 Outlaw drone and landed it on Iranian territory. CENTCOM denies this. Spokesman Tim Hawkins told the Associated Press: “In recent weeks and months, the Revolutionary Guard has repeatedly lied out of desperation, and today is no different.”
Vance’s letter and the message from Tehran
A diplomatic thread surfaced the same day. Vice President JD Vance sent a letter to General Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and a former Revolutionary Guard commander. The letter went out last week through Qatari intermediaries and was delivered to Rezaei on Sunday. According to The New York Times, Vance proposes an early meeting of American and Iranian officials and offers to lead the American delegation himself, with talks possibly starting as soon as next week in Qatar or Turkey. According to Axios, the letter says any discussion of preventing new strikes must cover Iran’s nuclear program. Vance spoke with Iranian representatives in Pakistan in April, and those talks ended without a deal.
President Donald Trump describes the letter differently. He told reporters on Wednesday, October 28, that he had not asked for talks to resume and that the contact was about aid: “They need help with medical supplies and assorted things.”
Iran did receive the message, according to the Fars agency, but has not replied. The Tasnim agency, which is close to the Guard, reports that Tehran is not ready to give up any of its key conditions for a ceasefire, among them lifting the American blockade of Iranian ports, easing sanctions and access to frozen assets abroad. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X:
“While our brave armed forces are fully ready to defend the homeland, Iran continues to give diplomacy a chance to succeed.”
He added: “We remain in close and constant contact with the mediators.” An official briefed on the diplomacy told CBS News that Qatari mediators handed Iran a new draft agreement and that a response is expected by the end of the week, most likely on Saturday. A senior Iranian official claims the opposite: that Qatar brought only “unacceptable ideas,” not an offer.
What is being prepared after November 3?
Two diplomats told the Associated Press that American officials advised allies in the Middle East to prepare for a possible resumption of military action against Iran after the U.S. election on November 3. Trump, they stress, has not made a final decision. According to The New York Times, the military has drawn up an expanded target list that includes energy infrastructure. Allies were told a new round could last only a few days, but regional officials expect retaliatory strikes from Iran and its allies.
Amid all this, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth removed Lieutenant General Brett Silvia, the Joint Staff’s chief military planner, on October 28. A Pentagon official told CBS News the reason is an accusation of leaking classified information about the war with Iran.
