Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said an oil tanker caught fire and exploded after striking a naval mine in the southern Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state media reported that the vessel had switched off its navigation and positioning systems and was attempting to leave the waterway through what Tehran described as an unauthorised route. The IRGC warned that vessels disabling their identification systems in the Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf would face severe consequences.
Diplomatic tensions also intensified as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned Washington against renewed military action, while accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of pushing the United States towards another war. The IRGC separately threatened a devastating response if Iranian energy infrastructure was attacked. Iran’s military chief also warned that any new assault by the United States and Israel would trigger retaliation more severe than before.
US President Donald Trump said Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations were making “great progress” and maintained that he did not want to drive Moscow away from the negotiating table. He also said Russia was doing “very little, if anything” to help Iran. Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance accused Tehran of threatening global energy supplies and predicted that fuel prices would fall once the conflict ended.
The repercussions extended across the region. Egypt pledged support for Saudi Arabia amid escalating attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, while Al-Azhar called for an urgent mediation committee to end Middle East violence. At least nine people, including five children and two women, were killed in an air strike in Yemen’s Saada province, according to the Houthi-run Health Ministry. Saudi Arabia also reported injuries from a projectile attack in Najran.
Oil prices declined in early Asian trading after Trump waived Russia-related sanctions under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act. Meanwhile, Israel heightened military alert ahead of its October 27 parliamentary election amid concerns about a possible Iranian attack.