Iran Reports Mine Attacks on Four Tankers Near Hormuz Amid US Strikes

WHO:

OilPrice.com - Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reported the tanker incidents; the IRGC said two other vessels had been seized.

Al Jazeera - Iran’s IRGC claimed four tankers were destroyed and two other vessels detained. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said the US response to Iran’s demands was “not convincing.”

Al Jazeera - US President Donald Trump confirmed strikes on Iran and described them as a “minor attack” that “wasn’t war.” Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said talks were continuing.

Al Jazeera - The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported an attack on a tanker; it reported no casualties.

Al Jazeera - The IRGC claimed its air-defence forces shot down a US-made MQ-9 drone, calling it the 56th such aircraft it had downed.

WHAT:

OilPrice.com - The IRGC said four oil tankers were destroyed after hitting naval mines while transiting a route it had prohibited for navigation; the tankers were still ablaze.

OilPrice.com - Middle East exports of crude oil, condensate and fuels fell to 17.1 million barrels per day (bpd), from 18.9 million bpd.

OilPrice.com - Kpler tracked a 1-million-bpd drop in crude oil and condensate exports; flows through the Strait of Hormuz, Red Sea and Gulf of Oman were provisionally estimated at 16.1 million bpd, down from 17.09 million bpd.

Al Jazeera - Iran proposed reopening the Strait of Hormuz over two days if the US met seven conditions, including lifting sanctions and ending its naval blockade. Rezaei said the strait would reopen only if the conditions were addressed and acted upon.

Al Jazeera - Trump said the US struck an Iranian anti-aircraft facility. The article said US officials described the strikes as defensive and said they followed Iranian fire at an American aircraft.

Al Jazeera - UKMTO reported that two unidentified projectiles struck a tanker’s engine room. The outlet said it could not independently verify whether this incident was linked to the IRGC’s reported mine attacks.

WHERE:

OilPrice.com - The reported mine attacks occurred south of the Strait of Hormuz, in a prohibited navigation area.

Al Jazeera - The US strikes reportedly hit Qeshm Island, near the Strait of Hormuz. The tanker struck by projectiles was about 14 nautical miles (26km) northeast of Limah, Oman.

WHEN:

Al Jazeera - UKMTO reported the projectile attack on Tuesday; the IRGC reported the mine attacks on Wednesday.

Al Jazeera - The IRGC said the MQ-9 drone was shot down at 4:30am local time (01:00 GMT).

WHY:

OilPrice.com - The IRGC said the two detained vessels had violated shipping restrictions.

OilPrice.com - Vortexa analyst George Morris attributed the pullback in Middle East seaborne exports to heightened risks in the Strait of Hormuz.

HOW:

OilPrice.com - Tanker trackers increasingly relied on satellite imagery to confirm vessel movements because ships were switching off transponders while transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

(UPDATED November 4, 2026 13:06 UTC)

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard says mines destroyed four tankers near Hormuz, while two vessels were seized. Trump confirmed US strikes on Iran, calling them minor; Qatar says talks continue. Middle Eastern oil exports have fallen as shipping risks rise around the Strait of Hormuz.