Iran Says Two Supertankers Hit Mines in the Strait of Hormuz

Iran's Revolutionary Guards say two supertankers carrying more than 4.5 million barrels of crude struck naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday. No independent party has confirmed the claim.

The IRGC Navy said in a statement carried by state agency IRNA that the ships took an "unauthorized route" through the strait, Anadolu Agency reported. Explosions and fires knocked out both engine rooms, and the crews abandoned the vessels, the statement said. TASS carried the same account.

Neither report named the ships.

Oil was already running hot

Brent crude traded above $117 a barrel during Friday's session, Kitco reported. Expensive oil feeds inflation fears, and those fears have fed rate-hike bets that weighed on gold and bitcoin this week.

Tehran's version of the strait

The claim came with a political message. IRGC Navy commander Ali Ozmaei said "America no longer has a place in the Strait of Hormuz," according to Iran International. The outlet, which opposes Iran's government, also reported his claim that U.S. forces had moved 600 to 700 kilometers away from the strait.

U.S. officials had not publicly responded to the mine claim in the reports reviewed.

Our read: until someone names the ships, this is Iran's account alone.