- UKMTO reports tanker attacks involving projectiles, explosive devices.
- Iran claims downed US drone, destroyed sea drone; US denies losses.
- Houthis claim strikes on refineries at Ras Tanura, Rabigh, Abqaiq.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Navy said four oil tankers had caught fire and exploded in the Strait of Hormuz, while separate maritime security reports pointed to further attacks on commercial shipping, as the widening conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel continued to threaten critical energy infrastructure across the Gulf.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said the tankers had attempted to navigate routes it described as unauthorised. In its latest statement, it reported that a fourth vessel, carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil, had struck a naval mine, suffered a powerful explosion and caught fire, Iranian state media reported on Friday.
An earlier IRGC Navy statement had reported that another tanker carrying two million barrels of crude had struck a mine.
Reuters could not independently verify the Iranian military’s account.
Separately, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said it had received a report that a crude oil tanker was struck by an unknown projectile while completing an outbound transit through the strait.
In an earlier incident report, UKMTO said a vessel had been hit on its port side about 40 nautical miles (74km) south of Iran’s Lavan Island, triggering a fire on board. Its crew were reported safe, with no environmental impact.
It was not immediately clear whether the vessels involved in the UKMTO reports were among the four tankers cited by Iran.
In a separate report on Friday, Reuters said UKMTO had reported a tanker being struck by explosive devices attached to a small boat, in what maritime sources described as the first known successful limpet-mine attack in the waterway since the US-Israeli war with Iran began in February.
The incidents underline the growing dangers to commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic passage connecting the Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea through which around a fifth of the world’s oil supplies passed before the conflict.
US-Iran confrontation extends to maritime operations
Iranian state media also reported that its forces had downed and captured an MQM-170 US drone over Qeshm Island, near the Strait of Hormuz. There was no immediate US military response to that claim, which Reuters could not independently verify.
Tehran also said it had destroyed an unmanned US vessel in the eastern Strait of Hormuz.
However, the US military’s Central Command rejected the claim, saying all American unmanned surface vessels in the Middle East were accounted for, including a squadron of advanced sea drones patrolling the waterway.
The latest maritime incidents come amid heightened tensions following US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February and subsequent Iranian attacks on shipping and energy infrastructure across the region.
Reuters reported earlier this month that Iran had shifted towards intensifying attacks on commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz, seeking to keep oil prices elevated and increase pressure on Washington.
At least seven incidents involving tankers were reported during a week in early October, according to maritime intelligence service Marisks. The incidents included attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, raising concerns over the security of energy exports from the Gulf.
Houthis open another front against Saudi Arabia
The maritime security crisis has coincided with a renewed Houthi campaign against Saudi Arabia, further widening the conflict’s geographical reach.
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group said on Thursday it had attacked several Saudi energy facilities, including the Ras Tanura refinery, the Rabigh refinery and a production facility at Abqaiq owned by state oil giant Saudi Aramco.
A Saudi-led coalition also said it had intercepted a cruise missile launched by the Houthis towards the kingdom’s western region.
The attacks followed repeated Houthi strikes on Saudi airports, oil installations and other critical infrastructure this month, including an October 10 attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport that killed 13 people and wounded more than 300, according to Reuters.
The Houthis have also threatened further attacks on Saudi airports and oil facilities, warning civilians, workers and international shipping companies to stay away from sites they consider legitimate targets.
The renewed offensive has severely disrupted Saudi aviation. According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, 4,071 of 4,736 scheduled flights at Riyadh’s airport, or 86%, were cancelled between October 8 and October 25.
More than 7,800 flights, accounting for 45% of scheduled departures across Saudi airports, were cancelled during the same period.
The United States on Friday confirmed that it had ordered non-emergency government employees and their family members to leave Saudi Arabia, effective October 23, citing security risks from Houthi attacks on civilian airports and critical infrastructure.
The US embassy in Riyadh warned American citizens of possible further attacks, airspace closures, flight cancellations and other travel disruptions.
The fighting between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen’s internationally recognised government has intensified in recent weeks, opening another volatile front in the wider US-Israeli war on Iran.
A truce between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition collapsed in July. The group subsequently declared a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia, attacked Saudi vessels and the East-West pipeline, and seized Yemen’s Red Sea coastline and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, according to Reuters.
Diplomatic efforts struggle to contain escalation
The military escalation has continued despite diplomatic efforts involving regional powers to prevent the conflict from spreading further.
Qatari mediators returned to Tehran on Friday as part of coordinated efforts to reach an agreement between Washington and Tehran, an official briefed on the discussions told Reuters.
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Vice President JD Vance had reached out to Iran to help the country obtain medical supplies, following reports that Vance had written to Tehran’s top security official in an effort to revive peace negotiations.
Iran has confirmed receiving Vance’s letter but has yet to respond, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency. Tehran has said Washington must meet its conditions for an agreement.
Earlier this week, Saudi, Turkish and Pakistani officials met Iranian leaders in Tehran and agreed to continue discussions, although the agenda and substance of the talks have not been disclosed.
Pakistan’s military said on Friday it was “cautiously optimistic” about Islamabad’s mediation efforts, following two visits to Tehran this month by Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir.
Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin accompanied Munir during his latest visit.
The diplomatic engagement comes against the backdrop of the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye on August 7, under which an attack on any signatory is to be treated as an attack on all.
Pakistan’s military spokesman Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said the agreement did not rule out additional members, including Iran, although any expansion would require a decision by the signatories’ political leadership.
Oil markets brace for further disruption
The mounting security risks have added to concerns over global energy supplies, with the Strait of Hormuz remaining a critical chokepoint for crude oil and fuel shipments.
Oil prices rose more than 2% on Friday, settling at their highest levels since late April as traders weighed the possibility of further escalation and the risks to supplies from the Middle East.
Brent crude futures for December delivery settled $2.76 higher, or 2.4%, at $117.64 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate rose $2.12, or 2.08%, to $104.12.
For October, Brent gained 13.6%, while WTI rose 15.2%.
The attacks have raised concerns about the ability of Gulf producers to maintain exports through both the Strait of Hormuz and alternative routes, particularly as Saudi Arabia faces renewed threats to its oil infrastructure and Red Sea shipping access.
Saudi crude exports nevertheless increased in October compared with September, according to two of three ship-tracking companies cited by Reuters, despite Iranian attacks on shipping and Houthi claims of strikes on Saudi energy facilities.
With Washington and Tehran yet to reach an agreement, the combination of maritime attacks, renewed fighting in Yemen and threats to Gulf energy infrastructure continues to complicate diplomatic efforts to contain the eight-month-old conflict.
