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Two Tankers Catch Fire After Naval Mine Strikes in Strait of Hormuz, IRGC Navy Says
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy told state media that two tankers caught fire after hitting naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage off Iran’s southern coast. Iranian outlets the same day reported explosions heard in the nearby port city of Kang, west of Qeshm Island, with no confirmed link to the tanker incident.
Reported explosions in and around the Strait of Hormuz on 14 November turned attention back to one of the world’s most sensitive shipping lanes, after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said two tankers caught fire when they struck naval mines.
According to the IRGC Navy’s account to state media, the ships hit mines in the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway off Iran’s southern coast that carries heavy traffic for crude oil and refined products. The report did not identify the vessels or specify their flag, cargo, or destination. It also did not give information on casualties or share visual evidence.
There was no immediate independent confirmation of the incident, the condition of the tankers, or the exact location of the reported mine strikes from other governments, maritime authorities, or ship-tracking data.
Separately on the same day, Iranian outlets reported that explosions were heard in the port city of Kang, west of Qeshm Island and close to the approaches to the Strait of Hormuz. Officials did not say what caused those blasts or whether they were connected in any way to the reported mine incident involving the tankers.
The available reports leave key questions unanswered: who laid the alleged mines, when they were placed, whether they form part of a wider minefield, and whether the sounds reported in Kang were related to military activity or to some other cause.
For now, the main indicators to watch are corroborating statements or imagery from other coastal states, any navigation warnings issued for the area, and further clarification from Iranian authorities on the nature of both the tanker fires and the explosions reported near Kang.