Iran Rejects Hormuz Reopening as Two More Tankers Are Hit

Iran on Monday rejected a US diplomatic response on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, while two more tankers were struck near the strait amid reports of heavy explosions, deepening a crisis that has effectively closed one of the world's busiest oil passages to commercial shipping for weeks.

The rejection came as an Indian minister confirmed two tanker strikes near the strait, and Iran's state broadcaster reported heavy explosions that may have involved mines. The pattern of incidents has pushed the Strait of Hormuz's effective closure deeper into its third week, with no clear mechanism for resolution on either side.

Since late September, the strikes have accumulated rapidly. The Liberia-flagged Lipsi was struck by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz in early October, the sixth tanker hit in a single week. The escalation had moved well beyond isolated incidents by that point. Shipping traffic around southern Africa doubled as operators diverted away from the Strait of Hormuz, though South African ports saw limited benefit from the rerouting.

MarineRadar tracked 263 unique devices searching the Ghalilah/Hormuz corridor in the past 48 hours; that sustained level of monitoring reflects active risk assessment across the region as operators weigh transit options against the cost of longer alternative routes.