CENTCOM says about 400 merchant ships crossed in the past seven days, and about 97% of those that tried got through without being hit.
Attacks on ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow channel between Iran and Oman that carries Gulf oil to the world, have surged to a record high as Iran escalates, NBC News reports. The International Maritime Organization counts more than 20 civilian sailors killed since February.
Iran's claim. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said two tankers caught fire after hitting mines in the strait, Reuters reported on Saturday, Oct. 17.
The U.S. answer. Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for CENTCOM (the U.S. military command for the Middle East), said the Guards are "not achieving their objective of closing the Strait of Hormuz. It is open." ([TS]Open, yes, but a normal 2025 week ran about 599 crossings by IMF PortWatch's count.)
Still open. Neither tanker has been named. Al Jazeera said ship names and cargo origins were not immediately available, and Reuters reported no independent confirmation that mines caused the damage.