Iran reports 3 tanker fires as Israel warns of unfinished mission

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said three oil tankers exploded and caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz Sunday, as Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that Israel’s mission against Iran was "still not complete."

The reports came amid renewed threats of military action against Iran and uncertainty over whether U.S. President Donald Trump would support another major Israeli offensive.

"Since the early hours of this morning, three non-compliant tankers have exploded and caught fire while they were sailing in the illegal channel in the Strait of Hormuz," the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement.

The Guard did not identify the vessels or their nationalities.

Since the war began in late February, Iran has severely restricted traffic through the strategic waterway, insisting that ships follow routes it authorizes and regularly targeting vessels that transit without its permission.

The United States has responded by imposing a naval blockade on Iranian ports and helping tankers navigate the strait, which normally carries oil equivalent to about one-fifth of global consumption.

Separate reports described fires and attacks on vessels in the area Saturday, but it was unclear whether they involved any of the tankers cited by the Guard.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said Sunday that a tanker had caught fire a day earlier off Khasab, Oman.

"Military authorities reported the tanker is on fire which has resulted in the evacuation of the crew," the agency said. It also reported that another tanker was struck by an "unknown projectile" Saturday.

Emirati state media said Sunday that 22 people had been rescued from a burning vessel in the Gulf of Oman and were in stable condition.

Agence France-Presse could not confirm whether the various reports referred to the same incidents.

Iran has made several announcements in recent weeks about ships catching fire in the strait. U.S. Central Command said last month that it had helped Gulf countries export 1.5 billion barrels of oil through Hormuz since the summer. It has also recently said all mines had been cleared from the waterway.

Iran’s state news agency IRNA separately reported late Saturday that sounds resembling explosions had been heard in several parts of the country.

"Sounds resembling explosions were heard in Qeshm, Sirik, Jask and Bandar Abbas. The cause of the sounds remains unknown," IRNA wrote on Telegram.

Officials confirmed an "impact" in the port city of Jask, the agency said.

Trump previously raised the possibility of resuming heavy strikes on Iran but has since backed away from the idea. The U.S. military has nevertheless carried out occasional limited strikes.

'Unfinished mission'

Katz, meanwhile, speaking Sunday at a ceremony honoring Israeli troops killed in a 1956 attack on Egypt, renewed allegations that Iran was pursuing nuclear weapons. Tehran denies seeking such weapons.

"With regard to Iran, the mission is still not complete. Iran is trying to renew its efforts to obtain nuclear weapons – alongside other grave efforts that place the State of Israel in real danger," Katz said.

Iran has faced two major Israeli-U.S. bombing campaigns since last year. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly threatened further strikes in recent weeks, but it remains unclear whether he has Trump’s support.

The U.S. president suffered a major defeat in Tuesday’s midterm elections, driven in part by voter anger over the war.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported Friday that Netanyahu and the Mossad intelligence service attempted an operation against Iran on the eve of Israel’s Oct. 27 election, but that the United States discovered the plan and stopped it.

Netanyahu also suffered election losses, and his rival Gadi Eisenkot has been tasked with forming a new government.

Eisenkot, a former army chief who has largely supported Netanyahu’s wartime decisions, has warned the military that the prime minister lacks a mandate and should not take the country to war for his "political needs."

Katz also warned Hezbollah, Iran’s Lebanese ally, against joining any renewed fighting and said Israel would retain its positions across several fronts.

"We will not withdraw from the security zones in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, and if ... Hezbollah chooses to join Iran in an attack on Israel, it will suffer extremely severe blows," he said.

Since the Hamas incursion on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has devastated Gaza and invaded Lebanon, where Hezbollah fired on Israel in solidarity with Iran.

Israeli forces also crossed a former cease-fire line to occupy additional territory in Syria after the fall of the Bashar Assad regime in 2024.

"We may argue and we may disagree, but when the security of the state is at stake, we must know how to rise above our disputes," Katz said.