'Supertanker' strikes mine in Hormuz, losing two million barrels of oil

Four oil tankers, including a supertanker carrying over two million barrels of oil, struck mines and caught fire while navigating the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's Revolutionary Guard reported that the tankers experienced explosions after venturing onto unauthorized routes through the strait. The Guard's navy asserted that the vessels had disabled their navigation and positioning systems and disregarded radio warnings.

Oman evacuated 25 crew members from a Panama-flagged tanker that encountered an attack 1.6 nautical miles off Musandam Governorate, resulting in the tanker catching fire. However, it remains uncertain if this incident is linked to the fires reported by Iran. The UK Maritime Trade Operations center also documented an incident south of Lavan, an island near Iran's mainland, where a vessel was struck by an unknown projectile, with the crew safely accounted for.

Iran has frequently cautioned that vessels transiting the strait without Tehran's approval would face destruction. The country has controlled much of the waterway since the US and Israel initiated the war on February 28. Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei cautioned the US and Israel against returning to war in response to threats from enemies who have vowed to resume strikes.

Khamenei, who has not been publicly seen since becoming supreme leader following his father's death in US-Israeli strikes at the start of the war, ordered commanders to respond to any threat with an immediate, impactful, and geographically unrestricted response. He also directed commanders to update Iran's target list to encompass all tangible and intangible assets belonging to the American-Zionist enemy.

Diplomatic efforts to prevent a resurgence of fighting have intensified, with a Qatari delegation arriving in Tehran for talks following a letter reportedly received from US Vice President JD Vance.