Iran says three tankers exploded using ‘unauthorised’ Hormuz routes

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Friday that three oil tankers had caught fire and exploded while attempting to use what it described as unauthorised routes through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media reported. An IRGC Navy statement said one of the tankers, which was carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil, had hit a mine. State media said Iranian forces had also downed and captured a US MQM-170 drone over Iran's Qeshm Island near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran also said it had destroyed an unmanned US vessel in the eastern Strait of Hormuz. But Centcom denied this in a statement on X, saying that "all US military unmanned surface vessels in the Middle East are accounted for." 🚫 CLAIM: Today, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it destroyed a U.S. military sea drone in the Strait of Hormuz. This claim is FALSE, just like many other IRGC lies this week. ✅ FACT: All U.S. military unmanned surface vessels in the Middle East are accounted for, including a squadron of advanced sea drones on patrol in the Strait of Hormuz supporting CENTCOM's defensive layer. — U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) October 30, 2026