Two tankers trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz under US protection struck mines

Two oil tankers caught fire and were abandoned after striking naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz while transiting under the protection of U.S. fighter jets, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said. The incident underscores persistent security risks to the world’s most important oil chokepoint, through which roughly a fifth of global petroleum consumption normally flows. It also highlights the fragile U.S.-Iran dynamic, with American air cover failing to prevent the blasts. Watch for confirmation of the vessels’ identities and cargoes, any change in tanker insurance and freight rates, and whether Iran or Washington signals a response that could further disrupt transit.