Iran Claims Mines Hit 4 Tankers in Strait of Hormuz; Brent Jumps 1.98%
Key Facts
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said 4 oil tankers were hit by mines and caught fire while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, October 30, in a claim the Associated Press could not verify. It added that one tanker was carrying more than 2 million barrels of oil, putting a large cargo at the center of its account of the incidents. The Guard did not name the four vessels or provide details about their crews. In a report published Thursday, October 29, the agency said Iran had attributed to the Guard claims that 3 tankers were hit by mines in the previous 24 hours, but it was also unable to confirm that report. The claims come as a separate incident in the strait was announced by Oman, putting shipping safety in the vital waterway in focus.
According to the Guard’s account, carried by the Associated Press, the alleged fourth vessel was a supertanker carrying more than 2 million barrels. Iran said it struck a naval mine and caught fire while using an “unauthorized route.” The agency did not identify the vessel or give the incident’s location, and it provided no independent details confirming the cargo or the cause of the fire. The detail matters given the sensitivity of tanker traffic through the strait, but the incident remains part of an Iranian claim that has not been independently verified. In a separate incident, Oman said it evacuated 25 crew members from a Panama-flagged tanker after it was attacked near the coast of Musandam governorate. The attack took place 1.6 nautical miles from the coast, and it was unclear whether it was linked to the fires announced by the Revolutionary Guard.
In the market, December Brent futures rose on October 30 after the tanker attack highlighted supply risks linked to the war, according to a Reuters report. The contract gained $2.27, or 1.98%, to $117.15 a barrel at 0845 GMT. The report said Brent was on track for a fourth consecutive monthly gain. The price movement reflects traders’ response to supply risks as reported, without the figures providing evidence of a separate impact from each incident. These developments link shipping security in the strait with oil pricing, as about 20% of the world’s oil passes through it, according to an Associated Press estimate.
Earlier data on tanker movements indicate that October saw a wave of incidents around the strait. Reuters cited maritime security sources as reporting at least 12 attacks on oil, liquefied natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas tankers during the week from September 28 to October 5, the highest weekly number since the war began. By contrast, International Maritime Organization data counted 9 incidents involving vessels in the same week. The difference reflects the agencies and their methods of monitoring: Reuters’ tally was attributed to maritime security sources, while the organization reported an independent count of incidents. These figures provide context for the risks facing ships, but do not establish a direct link between those events and the Guard’s claims about the four tankers on October 30.
The strait’s importance extends to liquefied natural gas trade as well as oil. The International Energy Agency estimated that more than 112 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas passed through the Strait of Hormuz in 2025, equivalent to nearly 20% of global LNG trade. Nearly 90% of those exports went to Asian markets. The European maritime alert concerning the incident south of Lavan does not establish that the vessel was an LNG carrier or that it was Qatari; the correction’s information is limited to describing a vessel of unknown type struck on its port side by an unidentified projectile, with the crew safe. The incident therefore cannot be linked to an LNG cargo or a specific owner based on the information available here.