Iran Claims Seven Ships Hit in the Strait of Hormuz; Trump Calls It Fake
Iran says seven oil tankers have been struck and sustained damage in the Strait of Hormuz — the largest single-day toll claimed for the waterway since the United States and Israel started their war against Iran on February 28.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement on Thursday that four of the vessels were transferring oil when they were targeted overnight and caught fire. The other three were disabled after striking mines, it claimed.
The claims could not be independently verified. The report gave no details about possible casualties or the tankers' flags.
The IRGC also warned that 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 IRGC said in a statement on its Sepah News website. 'This is a serious warning.'
Iran claims control over Hormuz, a strategic shipping route through which one-fifth of the world's oil supplies passed before the war broke out. It regularly attacks ships that attempt to navigate the strait without its authorisation.
But the US military has been escorting vessels through the waterway in increasing numbers, and Iran has responded by stepping up its attacks.
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 is making up fake hits and mines because more oil is now coming through the strait than even before the conflict began.
A US Central Command spokesperson, speaking anonymously, also called Iran's mine claims incorrect. The spokesperson said US forces have cleared the international shipping lanes of mines, and that Iran is using missiles and drones.
The spokesperson said the strait remains open, with 95 percent of vessels getting through. The attacks, the spokesperson added, show Tehran's 'desperation' under the US blockade, which cuts Iran off from the resources it needs to rebuild the military capabilities the US says it destroyed.
Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera's Mohamed Vall said the number of ships and tankers attacked every day is said to be increasing, and that Iran says it is continuing the attacks because it will not allow any change in the situation. Iran says it has full control over the strait right now, he reported. There is also talk in Tehran of an imminent escalation, with Iranians expecting the US to attack even before the midterm elections in early November; the IRGC chief has boasted that 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, and pre-election polls tell the same story for Trump's party. Surveys in recent months show most Americans want relief from their tax money paying for any potential ramped-up war with Iran, and there is real frustration over rising fuel prices caused by the conflict. As a result, she said, the pressure on the president comes not only from the opposition but also from within the Republican Party.
Amid the rival claims, uncertainty over the security of the Strait of Hormuz has deepened. The future of oil supplies through the waterway, and whether the conflict spreads, now depends heavily on the steps Washington and Tehran take in the coming days.
