Iran Closes Strait of Hormuz as Three Tankers Reported Hit

The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that funnels a vast share of the world’s seaborne oil, moved to the center of a fast-escalating Middle East confrontation on Saturday as Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared the strait “closed” and three oil tankers were reported hit since Friday, according to Al Jazeera’s live coverage of what it describes as the U.S.-Israel war on Iran.

The navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement published by its official outlet, Sepah News, that a supertanker carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil suffered a “huge” explosion after striking a naval mine while attempting to cross the strait through an “unauthorised” route. The blast triggered a “massive” fire aboard the tanker, which the IRGC said had switched off its GPS and radar systems before trying to transit, Xinhua reported.

One of the three tankers was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade fired from a small boat, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said, according to Al Jazeera. The IRGC Navy added that the waterway has been closed and warned that the fate of ships defying Iran’s regulations in the strait is “to burn in the fire of trust in the American terrorist army,” the Iranian outlet ISNA reported.

Strait of Hormuz Closure Threatens Global Energy Supply

The strait, which connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, is a vital conduit for global crude oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, and a prolonged closure threatens severe disruption across international energy supply chains, regional media reported. Shipping lines have suspended voyages through the Persian Gulf while maritime insurance underwriters escalated war-risk premiums, The Bangladesh Mail reported.

The IRGC Navy warned that no foreign vessel may traverse the strategic chokepoint until further notice, cautioning that any ship attempting unauthorized transit would face immediate targeting and warning commercial operators against relying on U.S. naval escorts, according to the same report.

U.S. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, claimed the U.S. Navy’s “effective” blockade had stopped all Iranian ships from transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to Al Jazeera. Iran has not publicly confirmed that claim.

Earlier Incident: Container Ship Sank After Mine Strike

Saturday’s warning followed an escalation earlier in the week. The IRGC Navy said a “violating” container ship attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz via an “unauthorised and high-risk” route sank after hitting a naval mine south of the waterway on Wednesday, IANS reported.

Speaking to state-run IRIB TV on Tuesday, IRGC Navy Commander Ali Azmaei said Iranian forces were controlling the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz “round the clock,” while the Gulf of Oman was under the control and supervision of Iran’s navy. He warned that those violating shipping rules under what he called U.S. “deception or provocation” would face a decisive response, Xinhua reported.

Wider Escalation: Houthi Attacks on Riyadh Airport

The Hormuz warning landed amid a wider regional escalation. On October 10, an attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport killed at least 12 people and wounded 309, Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority said — the deadliest attack in the kingdom in more than a decade, according to the Straits Times and Reuters. All flights were diverted and airport operations were temporarily suspended.

It was the third strike on the airport within a week. Two earlier attacks on October 8 killed four people and caused heavy damage to a Saudi commercial plane parked on the tarmac, Reuters reported. The October 8 strikes killed three Saudi citizens, including a pilot employed by the national carrier Saudia, Captain Hamoud Ali Alkalthami, the airline confirmed.

The Iran-backed Houthis, who launched a campaign against Saudi targets this summer, claimed two cruise missile strikes on the airport on October 8, the group’s military spokesperson said. After the October 10 attack, the head of the Houthi media office said on X that the group had “shut down Riyadh international airport,” and the group has warned international airlines to avoid Saudi airspace, declaring it a zone of military operations. The Houthis did not claim responsibility for the October 10 attack, according to the Straits Times.

Trump said Washington was considering joining Saudi strikes against the Houthis, telling reporters outside the White House, “we may… we’ll make a decision. We move very quickly,” Reuters reported.

Nuclear Standoff Continues

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Friday that Tehran does not seek to develop nuclear weapons, calling allegations to the contrary a “lie,” during a meeting with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on the sidelines of the COP17 biodiversity conference in Yerevan, Armenia, according to his office.

With the Strait of Hormuz reportedly closed, multiple vessels damaged and civilian airports under attack, maritime authorities and energy markets were bracing for further disruption as the confrontation showed no sign of easing.