Strait of Hormuz: Three tankers hit by mines as Qatari mediators return
Iran's Revolutionary Guard claims unauthorized routes caused the fires, while Saudi Arabia reports intercepting a drone near Mecca.
By Vikram Harrison ·
Tensions in the Middle East escalated on Friday as multiple vessels reported damage in the Strait of Hormuz. The incidents coincide with renewed diplomatic efforts to end the ongoing conflict.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard stated that three oil tankers struck naval mines and caught fire while traveling through unauthorized routes in the strait. The group identified one vessel as a supertanker carrying more than 2 million barrels of oil. That ship was abandoned at the entrance to the strait and remained on fire. The report did not name the vessel or provide details about its crew.
The Guard’s navy claimed the other two tankers turned off their navigation systems and ignored radio warnings. Earlier in the day, the British military reported a separate incident where a small boat attached explosive devices to a tanker’s hull. United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said the blasts started a fire in the engine room, but the crew was safe and the vessel continued to its next port. Oman’s Maritime Security Center also reported evacuating 25 crew members from a Panama-flagged tanker that caught fire near Musandam Governorate.
Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, a spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, said forces intercepted a drone launched by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels. He stated the drone was destroyed in the region surrounding Mecca. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesperson, denied targeting the holy city. He said in a statement that the group’s operations focus on Saudi oil facilities and military bases.
The United Nations reported that the number of displaced people in Yemen has surpassed 281,000. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs noted that most civilians fled fighting in Taiz and along the West Coast. The agency documented 263 civilian casualties as of October 27, including 67 deaths. Children accounted for 97 of the casualties and about half of those killed.
Diplomatic efforts continued in parallel with the military actions. Iranian state media reported that Qatari mediators returned to Tehran for talks with Iranian officials. The delegation was led by Qatar’s foreign minister and a senior adviser to the prime minister. This visit followed a letter from U.S. Vice President JD Vance to Maj. Gen. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. Tehran acknowledged receiving the letter on Thursday but has not yet responded.
In Sudan, four drones launched by the Rapid Support Forces struck the city of Shendi overnight. One drone hit an electrical substation, destroying its transformers and causing a citywide power outage. The attack halted operations at local water stations. The conflict in Sudan began in April 2023 and has led to severe humanitarian conditions.
