Iran Says Mines Hit Two Hormuz Tankers as U.S. Forcefully Rejects Claim

Iran and the United States offered sharply conflicting accounts of maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, after Tehran claimed that two oil tankers had struck naval mines while attempting to navigate the strategic waterway.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the vessels were disabled and their crews were forced to disembark.

According to a statement distributed by Iranian state media, the tankers ignored navigation warnings and attempted to follow an “illegal route” through the strait.

No independent confirmation of the reported incidents was immediately available. Iran did not identify the vessels, their owners, their cargoes, or the precise locations where the alleged mine strikes occurred.

U.S. Central Command categorically rejected the Iranian account. In a social media statement, the command said, “No ships have hit mines in the Strait of Hormuz. This is yet another IRGC attempt to intimidate regional commercial shipping through disinformation.”

The competing claims emerged as American and Iranian forces exchanged another round of attacks across the Middle East.

Any confirmed mining incident in Hormuz would represent a serious escalation because the narrow passage is one of the most important oil and LNG transit routes in the world.

President Donald Trump said he was “not trying to force Iran to the bargaining table,” following the latest American military operation.

U.S. forces struck Iranian air defense positions, communications facilities, and radar systems during attacks completed on Tuesday in the United States.

Central Command described those strikes as retaliation for the “recent attempted attacks” by Iran against commercial vessels in Hormuz and American military personnel.

The statement suggested Washington viewed Tehran's actions as a direct threat to both shipping and deployed forces.

Trump also claimed on Truth Social that the United States has “almost total control” over the Strait of Hormuz.

He portrayed Iran as increasingly isolated and economically weakened, saying Tehran was simply “playing out the inevitable” as military and financial pressure intensified.

The president then appealed directly to Iran's population, asking, “When are the Iranian people going to rise up and fight?”

His remarks added another politically charged element to a confrontation already spanning maritime security, regional defense, sanctions, and control of energy trade.

Iran responded to the American strikes by launching attacks toward Jordan, a close U.S. ally. Jordan's armed forces said 13 missiles were fired from Iranian territory, with national air defense systems intercepting 10 while three landed in remote locations.

Jordan reported no deaths or injuries from the missile attack.

The interception rate nevertheless illustrated the growing regional role of integrated air defense as Iranian projectiles increasingly place neighboring states and American partners at risk.

Bahrain also reported defensive action on Wednesday. Its armed forces said they had intercepted and destroyed “treacherous Iranian air strikes today,” after the Interior Ministry issued “an alert of potential threat” to the island nation.

The military exchanges are placing renewed attention on the physical vulnerability of Hormuz.

Even an unconfirmed report involving naval mines can influence tanker scheduling, insurance costs, crew decisions, freight rates, and the willingness of shipowners to enter a contested maritime corridor.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent argued that the strait could lose much of its strategic value as producers expand alternative export infrastructure.

Speaking to Fox Business, he predicted Hormuz would become a “worthless piece of water” within two years as more oil moved through land pipelines.

That assessment contrasts with present energy market realities. Hormuz continues to handle immense volumes of crude oil, refined products, condensate, and LNG, while available pipeline routes lack enough capacity to replace all seaborne flows passing through the waterway.

The Financial Times separately reported that Russia was secretly assisting Iran with the development of advanced supersonic cruise missiles.

Such weapons could strengthen Tehran's ability to threaten U.S. aircraft carriers and other warships operating throughout the region.

The latest escalation follows strikes on Sunday, when American and Iranian forces traded attacks for the first time in roughly a month.

Those hostilities came after the Trump administration announced a sweeping economic campaign targeting governments and entities accused of supporting Tehran.

For tanker operators and energy markets, the immediate danger lies in uncertainty as much as confirmed damage.

Conflicting military statements, missile launches, mine allegations, and retaliatory strikes leave commercial shipping exposed to rapid changes in security conditions around the world's most consequential petroleum passage.