Strait of Hormuz: Iran says 3 tankers on fire after hitting mines
Iran's navy says three tankers caught fire on Saturday after hitting mines, and the IRGC claims it downed a US drone. Neither is verified. Why Pakistan watches.
Iran’s navy says three oil tankers caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, 14 November, after hitting naval mines. This comes two days after Iran said four tankers were hit by explosions in the same waters, and on the same day Reuters reported that President Donald Trump has privately told advisers he may hold off on new attacks on Iran.
None of the tanker claims has been independently confirmed. Reuters, which carried the navy’s statement from Iranian state media, said it could not verify it.
What did Iran say about the tankers?
According to Iranian state media, one tanker struck a mine in the eastern part of the strait on Saturday morning and two more hit mines later in the day. The statements did not name the ships, their flags or owners, or say whether any crew were hurt.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards navy, quoted by the IRNA news agency, said the ships were trying to slip through a prohibited route. The Tasnim agency carried a navy line warning that “fire and explosions” are the fate of tankers involved in “illegal activities”, Middle East Monitor reported, and the navy said the ships had switched off their tracking systems.
Iran now demands that ships get its permission to cross the strait and has attacked vessels it says broke that rule. Al Jazeera’s live coverage counted seven ships hitting mines within about a day.
Did Iran shoot down a US drone?
The Revolutionary Guards say they did. According to Iranian state TV, the IRGC said it destroyed a US MQ-1 Predator drone over Qeshm Island at about 2:30pm local time on Saturday, using what it called a newly developed air defence system, Anadolu reported. The US has not commented, and the claim is unverified. Iranian outlets have given different running totals for how many US drones they say they have downed since the war began in February.
Is Trump holding off on attacks?
Reuters, citing three people familiar with the matter, reported that Trump told senior advisers he may not attack Iran again if there are no new provocations from Tehran or from the Houthis in Yemen. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan both urged him not to resume strikes, the agency said, and US intelligence judged that new strikes would not change Iran’s demands much.
That is not a promise. The same report said a third US aircraft carrier is heading to the region. A White House official told Reuters: “Only President Trump knows what he will do, and when.”
Why does this matter to Pakistan?
Pakistan imports most of its fuel, much of it from the Gulf through this strait. Petrol has fallen from about Rs375 a litre at the start of November to Rs330 from 14 November, according to Petroleum Division notifications, as traders bet the war was winding down. More burning tankers push the other way, and oil markets were closed for the weekend when Saturday’s claims came out.
The Gulf is also where Pakistan’s biggest remittances come from. Overseas Pakistanis in Saudi Arabia sent home $982 million in October and those in the UAE $816 million, out of $3.89 billion in total, Business Recorder reported, citing the State Bank.
What to watch next
Oil prices when markets open on Monday, whether shipping firms or flag states confirm which tankers were hit, and the meeting of Trump, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin that the Kremlin has announced for 19 November, where Iran is expected to come up.
