Iran has said that four tankers struck mines in the Strait of Hormuz, while Yemen’s Houthi forces claimed missile attacks on Saudi Arabia, intensifying tensions on two fronts as the United States reportedly considers renewed military action against Tehran following Tuesday’s midterm elections.
The latest escalation has raised concerns among regional officials and analysts that hostilities could resume around the 3 November vote, despite Vice President JD Vance’s efforts to revive negotiations with Iran, reports CNBC.
The developments highlight the competing diplomatic and military approaches shaping the conflict, which has now entered its ninth month.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said three tankers caught fire after hitting mines along what it described as an “unauthorised southern route” near the Omani coast.
Iran’s army separately reported that a fourth vessel caught fire east of the strait.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency reported that a small boat attached two explosive devices to a tanker about 25 nautical miles north-east of Khasab, Oman. The explosions triggered a fire in the engine room, disabling the vessel, the agency said, adding that all crew members were safe.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Thursday disputed a statement from US Central Command claiming that American forces had cleared mines from the main shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz.
The strategically important waterway carries around one-fifth of the world’s energy supplies.
However, daily vessel movements have fallen to single digits since the war began in late February.
“Prove the claim that the Strait of Hormuz has been cleared of mines with independent evidence, not a statement,” IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebi said.
“The reality of the Strait of Hormuz is determined in the air, on land and at sea, not on social media and in America’s media war rooms.”
Separately, Iran-backed Houthi forces claimed to have carried out six military operations across Saudi Arabia, targeting airports and oil facilities. The claims came despite a rare meeting between senior Saudi and Iranian officials in Tehran earlier this week, where the two sides agreed to address regional differences through dialogue.
Saudi authorities have not confirmed the reported attacks. However, they said their air defence systems had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone heading towards the holy Mecca region.
Earlier this week, Vance sent a letter through Qatari mediators to Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, proposing a framework for negotiations.
Asked whether he had instructed Vance to make the approach, US President Donald Trump said “no”, describing it as an attempt to help Iran obtain “medical supplies and various things”.
“He [Vance] asked me what I thought. I said, ‘if you want to do that, that’s OK,’” Trump said.
Meanwhile, reports suggest the Trump administration could resume military operations in the Middle East after the November 3 midterm elections.
Admiral Brad Cooper, the top US military commander in the region, briefed Trump on possible military options against Iran during a rare in-person visit to the White House, The Wall Street Journal reported late Thursday, citing unnamed US officials familiar with the matter.
Other Cabinet members also attended the meeting, which covered several issues, including the continuing US blockade, according to the report.
