Symbolic imageIran strikes more tankers near Hormuz as indirect talks with US continue
Iran's Revolutionary Guards say they hit a third supertanker in the Strait of Hormuz within two days. Tehran is still reviewing Washington's reply to its seven-point plan, with mediators relaying messages.
The IRGC navy said on Monday, 12 October, that it hit a third supertanker in two days, causing a fire. It said the ship had switched off its navigation system and ignored warnings (TASS, citing Iranian state television). Security chief Mohsen Rezaei said on Sunday night that a US-assisted shuttle system, in which smaller vessels pass crude to larger tankers, is now an explicit target. He claimed US Central Command and the UAE military run it and that Iran hits five or six such ships nightly.
Talks via Pakistan and Qatar
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said Iran is still examining Washington's reply to its seven-point plan, with Pakistan and Qatar relaying messages. He rejected US claims that traffic has normalised and said security will not return while the US blockade lasts.
Supply gap persists
Russia's deputy prime minister Alexander Novak said after an OPEC+ ministerial meeting in Riyadh that six to seven million barrels a day still do not reach the market from Hormuz.
Other opinions
Al Jazeera notes that US President Donald Trump has hailed exports at times reaching pre-war levels, while Tehran Times and TASS blame the US blockade and war for the situation.