Iran Declares Hormuz Closed as Supertankers Hit Mines

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps announced on Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz was closed to commercial shipping, following what it said were mine strikes on two supertankers moving through the waterway.

The first tanker was travelling a route the IRGC had not authorised, on the southern side of the channel. An engine room explosion immobilised it, Arab News reported. A second supertanker was then hit, Anadolu Agency reported, citing IRGC statements. Two tankers struck in one day.

Both were laden with crude oil. IntelliNews confirmed reports of two tankers struck by mines. The closure was announced on day 232 of the Iran-Israel war, as attacks on Hormuz shipping had been rising in frequency, The American Conservative reported. Al Jazeera carried the developments in its October 17 live updates.

Traffic data from MarineRadar shows 342 devices tracked across the Hormuz cluster and surrounding anchorages in the 48 hours before the announcement, as shipping continued to move through the strait despite escalating risks.

This is not the first mine strike on a large tanker in the waterway. A supertanker was hit by a mine on October 10, and earlier that week Iran claimed six ship strikes in a single day, a record for the conflict at the time.