Symbolic imageTanker explodes in Hormuz as US disables ship running Iran blockade
Iran says a supertanker hit a mine in Hormuz, while the US disabled a ship leaving an Iranian port.
The Revolutionary Guard navy said on Saturday, 10 October, that a crude-carrying supertanker hit a naval mine on an unauthorized route and caught fire after switching off its navigation systems, according to Tasnim and ISNA. UKMTO separately reported an outbound tanker struck by an unknown projectile, with the crew safe. Whether it is the same ship, and whether a mine was involved, is unconfirmed.
US strikes ship leaving Iran
CENTCOM said early on Sunday that a fighter jet hit the stern of the Panama-flagged Ocean Molica in the Gulf of Oman with a precision munition after it left an Iranian port and ignored warnings. The Financial Times calls it the first such strike in a month. CENTCOM counts four commercial vessels disabled and 135 turned around in three months of strict enforcement.
Iran's missile capacity
Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing anonymous Western officials, that Iran can still make missiles and drones after eight months of strikes, and that Trump's pause until the midterms gives it time to rebuild. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly rejected the assessment.
Other opinions
TASS carries only the Guards' mine account, while the Jerusalem Post pairs it with UKMTO's report of an unknown projectile.