Key facts
- Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy said two supertankers were disabled by explosions on November 11 after ignoring warnings.
- Iran's army said two more tankers hit mines on November 12 in the eastern strait and caught fire, state TV reported.
- Iranian state media said the two supertankers exploded after hitting naval mines and broadcast footage it said showed the incidents.
- The UKMTO said a vessel was hit by an unidentified projectile northwest of Ras Al-Khaimah on November 11, causing an engine room fire.
- At least 10 ships were hit in the first 10 days of November, after 37 attacks in October, per the Washington Institute.
- The UKMTO said all crew had been evacuated from the vessel struck near Ras Al-Khaimah and firefighting was under way.
Four oil tankers were hit by explosions in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's military said on November 12, 2026, adding that the vessels had ignored warnings and entered what it considers restricted areas of the strategic waterway. Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy said two supertankers were disabled by explosions on November 11 after they ignored warnings against using what it said was an "unauthorised route." Reuters could not immediately verify the Iranian account.
The two vessels "exploded after hitting naval mines," Iranian state media reported, broadcasting what it said was video footage of the incidents. Iran's army later said two other tankers had hit mines on November 12 afternoon while sailing through the eastern Strait of Hormuz after ignoring warnings and disabling their radar systems, state TV reported. The tankers entered a restricted area and subsequently caught fire, it reported.
Earlier in the US-Israeli war with Iran, which began in February, the IRGC Navy announced its attacks on tankers. More recently, however, it has instead reported that vessels have caught fire after hitting naval mines while traversing the southern part of the strait, which it has declared an unauthorised route. In several of those cases, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) has said vessels had been struck by unknown projectiles.
The UKMTO said in reports on November 12 that a vessel was hit by an unidentified projectile about 14 nautical miles northwest of the UAE emirate of Ras Al-Khaimah on November 11 while exiting the strait, causing a fire in its engine room. Firefighting efforts were under way and all crew had been evacuated, it added.