Iran Says Three Tankers Hit Mines in Hormuz as Trump Weighs Pause

Iran's navy and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Saturday that fires broke out aboard three oil tankers after they struck mines in the Strait of Hormuz, the latest in a string of attacks on shipping through the world's most important oil chokepoint.

The Guards' navy said two oil tankers that had switched off their radar and positioning systems and were "secretly attempting to transit" the strait through an unauthorized route "exploded and caught fire after striking a naval mine," according to a statement carried by Iranian state broadcaster IRNA. A separate statement from Iran's conventional navy said a third tanker, navigating east of the strait with its tracking systems off, caught fire and was forced to stop after hitting a mine.

The statements did not name the vessels or their flags, but the Guards said one of those hit in southern Hormuz was a supertanker. On Friday the Guards released footage of a large plume of smoke rising from a vessel it said was carrying liquefied gas and had struck a mine in the south of the strait.

Washington signals caution

The attacks come as U.S. officials weigh whether to escalate or wind down a conflict that has convulsed global energy markets. President Donald Trump has told senior advisers in recent days that he may hold off on attacking Iran if the United States faces no new provocations from Tehran or Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen, according to three people familiar with the matter, in an account published by Reuters.

Trump has alternated between threatening new strikes and signaling a desire to end the unpopular war, which he launched with Israel in February. He has also indicated sympathy for regional allies that have asked him not to return to full-fledged hostilities.

U.S. Central Command said it downed two Iranian drones with no casualties or damage, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio said further U.S. military action against Iran was not needed because its economy has been weakened, according to a daily digest of international coverage.

Wider fallout

The disruption has spread well beyond the Gulf. A United Nations official said the U.S.-Iran war has put 45 million people worldwide at risk of hunger, citing more expensive fertilizers and restricted shipping through the strait, and the UN has called for an urgent resolution in Hormuz.

A U.S. official said Iran will also be on the agenda when Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in Shenzhen on Nov. 19, a session the White House says will focus on nuclear disarmament.