Blasts reported on Qeshm and Jask as Hormuz tanker mine claims emerge

Explosions reported on Qeshm and Jask

Iranian state media reported on Saturday evening, 7 November, that explosions had been heard on Qeshm, an island in the Strait of Hormuz, and in the port city of Jask, which also sits on the strait. The reports were carried by the state news agency IRNA and the Fars agency, which is seen as a mouthpiece of the Revolutionary Guards. State television hinted that the blasts could be connected to Iranian military activity in the waterway, but the cause remained unclear and the reports could not be confirmed. Tasnim, a semi-official Iranian agency, had reported the same day that two missiles hit Qeshm, yet a source cited by Tasnim later said the detonations were not the result of rocket attacks, so the accounts conflict.

Two tankers and a disabled ship

The Revolutionary Guards said two oil tankers had caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz after hitting mines while trying to cross what it called an 'unauthorised route'. Whether those incidents were linked to the blasts heard on land was not clear at the time of reporting. The US military said separately that it had disabled a commercial vessel that tried to break the US blockade of Iranian ports, and the ship was left unable to manoeuvre. La Libre places that incident in the Gulf of Oman, not in the strait itself. Reuters reported that Iranian officials could not yet confirm the blasts were attacks.

A limited US strike and fears of escalation

The United States had attacked Qeshm several days before the latest blasts. Washington described those strikes as a limited operation rather than a full resumption of its war with Iran. In the region there is fear that Donald Trump, who has not reached a deal with the Iranian regime and sees the Strait of Hormuz only partly open, could opt for more violence after the US midterm elections. The articles give no sign that such a decision has been taken.

A war and talks stuck for months

The United States and Israel began their war against Iran at the end of February and bombed the country from the air. The conflict remains unresolved, and negotiations have been stalled for months. In June, Tehran and Washington agreed a framework deal intended to open the way to a lasting diplomatic solution, but it did not reach its goal. The Strait of Hormuz has been at the centre of the conflict because it is important for global oil trade. Observers had repeatedly speculated that the two countries could attack Iran again after the midterm elections.

What is still unknown

Reports so far give no figures for casualties or damage, and no party has confirmed the cause of the blasts on Qeshm and Jask. The articles do not say whether the disabled vessel had any connection to the tankers the Revolutionary Guards described. Whether the tanker reports and the blasts on land are related also remains open.