HORMOZGAN, IRAN – SEPTEMBER 9: Iranian medium-sized oil tankers continue to wait off Bandar Abbas in the Strait of Hormuz, Hormozgan province, Iran on September 9, 2026.
Fatemeh Bahrami | Anadolu | Getty Images
Iran said four oil tankers struck mines in the Strait of Hormuz and Yemen’s Houthis claimed missile strikes on Saudi Arabia, increasing pressure on two fronts as the United States reportedly considers further military action against Tehran after Tuesday’s midterm elections.
The surge in violence is fueling concerns among regional officials and analysts that fighting could resume around the Nov. 3 vote, even as Vice President JD Vance seeks to reopen talks with Iran.
These developments highlight the diplomatic and military differences that are now shaping the conflict, now in its ninth month.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said three tankers caught fire after hitting mines along what it called an “unauthorized southern route” near the Omani coast. The Iranian military said a fourth fire had burned east of the strait.
Britain’s Maritime Trade Operations agency reported a small boat attaching two explosive devices to an oil tanker about 25 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, Oman. The explosions sparked a fire in the engine room that destroyed the ship, the agency said, adding that the crew was safe.
Separately, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also disputed on Thursday a statement by the US Central Command that US forces had cleared major transit routes in the Strait of Hormuz. The vital waterway carried around a fifth of the world’s energy reserves and has seen traffic fall to single digits daily since the war began in late February.
“Prove the claim that the Strait of Hormuz was cleared of mines by independent evidence, not by a statement,” said IRGC spokesperson Hossein Mohebi. “The reality of the Strait of Hormuz is determined in the air, on land and at sea, not on social media and in American media war rooms.”
Iran-backed Houthi forces said they had launched six military operations across Saudi Arabia, targeting airports and oil installations, despite a rare meeting of senior Saudi and Iranian officials in Tehran earlier this week. Both sides agreed to resolve regional disputes through dialogue.
Saudi authorities did not confirm the attacks but said their air defenses intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone launched toward the holy region of Mecca.
Earlier this week, Vance sent a letter through Qatari mediators to Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, proposing a framework for negotiations.
When asked if he was leading the outreach campaign, President Donald Trump responded “no,” specifying that Iran needed “help with medical supplies and various things.” “He (Vance) asked me what I thought. I said, ‘If you want to do that, that’s OK,'” Trump said.
Reports have emerged that the Trump administration may resume military actions in the Middle East after the November 3 midterm elections.
Admiral Brad Cooper, the top U.S. commander in the region, briefed Trump on military options for Iran during a rare in-person visit to the White House, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing unnamed U.S. officials familiar with the matter.
The meeting, which was joined by other cabinet members, discussed other topics, including the continuation of the US blockade, according to the report.
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