Iran says seven tankers hit in Strait of Hormuz, warns US of wider conflict

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said seven oil tankers were struck and damaged in the Strait of Hormuz, describing it as the largest single-day toll for the waterway since the United States and Israel began their war against Iran on February 28.

The IRGC said in a statement on Thursday that four of the vessels were transferring oil when they were targeted and caught fire overnight, while the other three were disabled after striking mines. The claims could not be independently verified, and the statement gave no details about possible casualties or the tankers' flags.

Warning to Washington

The IRGC also warned it could strike US bases across the Middle East if Washington moves to help tankers transit other parts of the strait. "The US military must know that if this trend continues, the conflict will extend to its bases in the region," the force said on its Sepah News website. "This is a serious warning."

Iran claims control over Hormuz, a strategic route through which one-fifth of the world's oil supplies passed before the war broke out. It regularly attacks ships that try to navigate the strait without its authorisation. The US military has been escorting vessels through the waterway in increasing numbers, and Iran has responded by stepping up attacks.

US disputes Iran's account

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that "Iran is doing everything they can to drive up the price of oil prior to the US Midterm Election". In a post on his Truth Social platform, he added that Iran was making up "fake hits, mines, and everything else because more oil is coming through the Hormuz Strait now than it did even prior to the beginning of the conflict".

A US Central Command spokesperson, speaking anonymously to Al Jazeera, also called Iran's mine claims incorrect. The spokesperson said US forces had cleared the international shipping lanes of mines and that Iran was using missiles and drones. The strait remains open, the spokesperson said, with 95 percent of vessels getting through.

The attacks, the spokesperson added, show Tehran's "desperation" under a US blockade that cuts Iran off from the resources it needs to rebuild military capabilities the US has said it destroyed.

Al Jazeera's Mohamed Vall, reporting from Tehran, said the number of ships and tankers attacked each day is increasing. "They have full control over the Strait of Hormuz right now, they say," he said. He added that there is talk in Tehran of an imminent escalation, with Iranians expecting a US attack even before the midterm elections in early November, and that the IRGC army chief has boasted Iran is more ready than ever and has produced enough weapons to wage a symmetrical war against the United States.

Reporting from the White House, Al Jazeera's Kimberly Halkett said striking Iran "does not appear to serve any Republican interests", adding that recent surveys show most Americans want relief from their tax money paying for a potential war with Iran. She said there is frustration over rising costs and fuel prices driven by the conflict, and that pressure on the president is coming from within the Republican Party as well as from the opposition.

Source: Al Jazeera.