Iran says stopped three oil tankers transiting Hormuz
Iran's Revolutionary Guards claim to have blocked three oil tankers from passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The move follows ongoing tensions between Iran and the U.S. regarding control of the strategic waterway.
Why it matters
This escalation threatens global oil supply chains and increases the risk of direct military confrontation in a critical maritime chokepoint.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Thursday (July 23, 2026) they stopped three oil tankers from passing through the Strait of Hormuz, as the United States and Iran vie for control over the vital waterway.
In recent weeks, Iran has hit tankers using a route hugging the Omani coast to traverse the strait, in a bid to strongarm vessels into using its own waters and pay for safe passage.
"Three oil tankers, provoked and tempted by the child-killing American army, were trying to pass through the mine-laid route south of the Strait of Hormuz, but after one of them exploded and caught fire, the other two quickly turned around and turned back," the Guards said in a statement quoted by Iranian state media.
The statement did not say when the incident happened.
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