Strait of Hormuz Crisis: Iran Claims 2 Oil Tankers Hit Naval Mines, US Dismisses Reports as Fabricated

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that two commercial oil tankers exploded and caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz after allegedly striking naval mines. The claims, published by Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency, point to a sharp escalation in regional maritime volatility, though the United States military has directly disputed the reports, calling the incident fabrications.

According to the IRGC statement, the two unidentified tankers were moving through a designated minefield in the southern corridor of the strait. Iranian military officials alleged the vessels were guided into the area by "deceptive American intelligence agencies," prompting subsequent explosions that left the ships stranded and engulfed in flames. The IRGC did not disclose the names, flags, or casualties associated with the affected vessels. US-Iran War: IRGC Claims Fresh Strikes on US Military Sites in Syria, Kuwait and Oman Under Operation Nasr-2.

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) quickly issued a formal rejection of the Iranian narrative. In a statement shared on social media, U.S. military officials dismissed the report, stating, "Like most IRGC claims, this is false," indicating that independent maritime monitoring had not verified any such explosions or active fires involving commercial tankers in the area.

The conflicting reports come amidst a severe intensification of hostilities between Washington and Tehran. Over the past week, the United States has conducted consecutive nightly airstrikes against Iranian military positions, targeting command infrastructure in coastal cities like Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island to degrade Tehran's capability to disrupt international shipping lanes. In response, Iran has asserted its authority over the vital waterway, warning international shipping companies that the southern routes are highly unsafe and declaring the strait virtually closed to oil, gas, and petrochemical transits.

Compounding the day's tensions, the IRGC additionally claimed it had executed a coordinated missile and drone operation to halt four other commercial vessels attempting to transit the strait under the protection of U.S. naval forces. Iran IRGC Claims Interception of US MQ-9 Drone over Khuzestan Region's Ahvaz.

The Strait of Hormuz remains the world's most critical oil transit chokepoint, facilitating the passage of roughly one-fifth of global oil consumption. Energy market analysts caution that continued reports of minefields and direct sabotage—even if disputed—could severely impact global oil trade by driving up maritime war-risk insurance premiums and causing shipping firms to reroute vessels entirely.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 20, 2026 07:35 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).