Revolutionary Guard says another supertanker burned after mine strike in Hormuz

Mine strikes and the violators list

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said late on Tuesday, 20 October, that another supertanker caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz after hitting a naval mine while trying to cross by what it called an unauthorized southern route. The guard said the vessel carried more than two million barrels of crude and had switched off its radar and navigation systems, ignoring warnings from its navy. It did not name the ship's flag and gave no information on casualties or damage. Tehran's count of ships that have struck mines in the strait now stands at nine, including two more tankers that hit explosives during the night of 19 October. Iranian authorities also say 122 vessels are on their list of violators for breaking navigation rules, and another 30 have been warned that they will be added if they fail to comply.

Listed as violators122

Warned, to be listed if non-compliant30

Listed as violators

122 vessels

Warned, to be listed if non-compliant

30 vessels

Data from the article text

Talks stall over enriched uranium

Foreign minister Abbas Araghchi told the Iraqi broadcaster Al-Akhbariya that negotiations with the United States, carried out through Pakistan and Qatar, continue without interruption. He recalled that in September Iran proposed a seven-day plan to reopen the strait, conditional on lifting the naval blockade and oil sanctions, ending the war on all fronts and releasing frozen Iranian funds abroad. Araghchi said the strait should have been fully open by the sixth day of that period, and that Washington had told Tehran it agrees to these conditions but wants extra clauses added. On Tuesday, Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, told state television that not even a tiny amount of enriched nuclear material will leave Iran. Chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who also presides over parliament, told Pakistan's army chief, Asim Munir, that Tehran has nothing new to tell Washington. The US wants the stockpile removed from Iranian territory, while Tehran insists that diluting it inside the country is the only solution.

Drone claim and strikes near Oman

The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre (UKMTO) said on Tuesday that it had received a report of an incident between a tanker and military forces on Monday, about 121 nautical miles east of Duqm in Oman. It reported no damage or casualties and did not identify the vessel. The Revolutionary Guard also claimed that its air defenses downed an American MQ-9 drone over the strait on Monday evening, a claim that a US official cited by American media called false. Iranian outlet Fars, which is close to the state, reported that a US air strike hit a naval base in Konarak in Sistan and Baluchestan province on Monday, wounding two soldiers, though Washington has not commented. Guard spokesman Hossein Mojabi said on Monday that Iran could strike undersea internet cables in the Gulf and the strait, and that new weapons would be presented to remove the American military presence from the region. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tehran would respond to any attack.

Oil prices and the blockade

The United States and Israel launched the war on 28 February, and Iran has since tried to keep the strait closed as pressure, while Washington answered with a blockade on Iranian ports. Brent crude for December delivery closed at 108.79 dollars a barrel on the ICE exchange in London on Tuesday, down 0.69% from 109.55 dollars on Monday. Prices rose early after the guard announced the drone shootdown, then slid after The New Arab reported that Qatar and Pakistan had put forward a mediation proposal approved by both sides. Brent had earlier topped 110 dollars, its highest level in five months, as supply fears grew. Washington says it has restored shipping through the strait and that oil trade there is close to pre-war levels, while analysts cited by AFP read the attacks as Iran showing it can halt navigation.

2026-10-19109.55

2026-10-20108.79

2026-10-19

109.55 $/bbl

2026-10-20

108.79 $/bbl

Data from the article text