Iran war news today: more tankers hit in Hormuz, Trump says decision soon
Iran says two more tankers hit mines in Hormuz as Trump warns he may 'destroy what is left' of Iran, then calls Qatar's emir about a deal.
The Iran war swung between threats and talks again on Friday, 6 November. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) said two more oil tankers struck mines and caught fire in and near the Strait of Hormuz, a day after President Donald Trump said he may have to “destroy what is left” of Iran. Hours later, Trump was on the phone to Qatar’s emir about ending the war.
This follows the IRGC’s earlier claim of mined tankers and is the newest turn in a war that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February.
What happened at sea
- IRGC claim (Friday): two tankers hit mines, one east of the strait and one inside it, after switching off their navigation and identification systems to take an unauthorised route, according to an IRGC statement carried by Iranian state media.
- Iranian state media (Thursday): five tankers and a tugboat were said to be on fire after hitting mines.
- Independent reports: the UK’s maritime security agency, UKMTO, said a tanker leaving near Oman’s coast reported an explosion at the waterline; its crew were safe and it kept sailing under its own power. A Greek company said its tanker Velos Sapphire, empty and bound for Bahrain, was hit by a suspected missile on Thursday and one seafarer was killed.
No maritime authority has confirmed all of Iran’s claims, and Trump has accused Tehran of inventing incidents to push up oil prices. The IRGC also said on Friday it shot down a US MQ-1 drone over Qeshm Island; the US has not confirmed that.
What Trump said, and who he called
Speaking in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump said he would prefer not to destroy what is left of the country, “but I may have to do so. You will know very soon.” He said Iran would need 25 years to rebuild.
On Friday he called Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Qatar’s statement said the two discussed diplomatic efforts to de-escalate and that the emir stressed continuing dialogue. Iran, meanwhile, sent its security chief Mohsen Rezaei to Moscow, where he met President Vladimir Putin.
The politics in Washington have shifted too: Democrats won control of Congress this week, and Vice President JD Vance wrote that “the reason we lost is the war.”
Why it matters in Pakistan
About a fifth of the world’s oil normally passes through Hormuz, and most of Pakistan’s fuel and LNG comes through it. Every tanker attack raises shipping and insurance costs, which reach petrol and gas prices here within weeks. Pakistan has also played a go-between role earlier in the war, so a Qatar-led track matters for Islamabad’s own diplomacy.
The next thing to watch is Trump’s decision on new strikes, which he says will come “very soon”.
