Oil tankers hit mines and catch fire in Strait of Hormuz

On November 13, 2026, two oil tankers exploded and caught fire after striking sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy. Tehran claimed the vessels, including one supertanker, attempted an unauthorized transit with radar deactivated. Since US-Iran war flared in February 2026, Iran has enforced mandatory authorization for strait crossings, while the United States maintains a naval blockade of Iranian ports and asserts it cleared main routes of mines.

Reports of sea mine incidents in the region

• ▪On November 13, 2026, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy reported that two oil tankers, one a supertanker, exploded and caught fire after striking sea mines during unauthorized Strait of Hormuz transit with positioning systems deactivated
• ▪In the weeks preceding November 14, 2026, Iranian armed forces reported several ship fires and explosions in the Strait of Hormuz, attributing multiple incidents to naval mines
• ▪On November 13, 2026, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps released video footage showing smoke rising from a liquefied gas vessel that allegedly struck a mine in the southern Strait of Hormuz

U.S. military actions in the Strait of Hormuz

• ▪On September 5, 2026, the United States destroyed three Iranian oil tankers following attempted missile attacks on U.S. naval vessels in the Strait of Hormuz
• ▪The United States military stated that U.S. forces have cleared the main maritime transit routes through the Strait of Hormuz of sea mines
• ▪The United States military established a naval blockade on Iranian ports and provides military support to commercial tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz