Iran warns US after 7 tanker claim in Hormuz

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned the US and said seven oil tankers were damaged in the Strait of Hormuz in a Thursday statement cited by Al Jazeera in an Oct. 22 news report.

The report matters for energy security because the channel carried one-fifth of global oil supplies before the war began; Al Jazeera said the reported count was the highest for one day since Feb. 28.

The IRGC said four tankers were moving oil when they were targeted overnight and later burned. It said three others lost function after hitting mines. Al Jazeera said it could not verify the account and that no casualty figures or tanker flags were provided.

“The US military must know that if this trend continues, the conflict will extend to its bases in the region,” the IRGC said in a statement on its Sepah News website. “This is a serious warning.”

US President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s account in a post on Truth Social. “Iran is doing everything they can to drive up the price of oil prior to the US Midterm Election,” he said, adding: “They are making up fake hits, mines, and everything else because more oil is coming through the Hormuz Strait now than it did even prior to the beginning of the conflict.”

A US Central Command spokesperson, who spoke anonymously to Al Jazeera, said Iran’s mine account was wrong. The spokesperson said US forces had cleared international shipping lanes, Iran was using missiles and drones, the strait remained open and 95 percent of vessels were getting through.

Al Jazeera reported that Iran claims control over Hormuz and attacks vessels that attempt to pass without its authorisation. The US military has been escorting more ships through the waterway, while Iran has stepped up attacks, according to the report.

Al Jazeera’s Mohamed Vall, reporting from Tehran, said Iranian officials expected further escalation and possible US action before midterm elections in early November. Reporting from the White House, Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett said pressure on Trump also reflected domestic concern about war costs and fuel prices.

Before the US midterm elections in early November, watch whether Washington announces any change to its Hormuz escort operations or military posture after the IRGC warning.

Also watch whether US Central Command updates its 95 percent transit figure for vessels moving through the strait, a measure that would indicate whether disruption is widening or contained.

Any confirmed strike on US bases in the region, or an announced US attack on Iran before the midterm elections, would mark the escalation Iranian officials discussed in Al Jazeera’s Tehran reporting.

Source: news report, Al Jazeera, AFP and AP, Oct. 22