Madar (International) - Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Thursday, October 22, 2026, that seven oil tankers had been struck and damaged in the Strait of Hormuz, the largest single-day toll for the waterway since the United States and Israel started their war against Iran on February 28, Al Jazeera reported, citing AFP and AP.
In a statement, the IRGC said 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 of possible casualties or of the tankers' flags.
The IRGC warned it could strike US bases across the Middle East if Washington moved 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. This is a serious warning," it said on its Sepah News website.
US President Donald Trump said Iran was "doing everything they can to drive up the price of oil prior to the US Midterm Election", adding on Truth Social that Tehran was "making up fake hits, mines, and everything else". A US Central Command spokesperson, speaking anonymously to Al Jazeera, said US forces had cleared the international shipping lanes of mines and that Iran was using missiles and drones, adding that the strait remained open, with 95 percent of vessels getting through.
About one-fifth of the world's oil supplies passed through the Strait of Hormuz before the war. Iran claims control over the strait and regularly attacks ships that try to cross it without its authorisation, while the US military has been escorting vessels through the waterway in increasing numbers.
