Three tankers hit by mines in Strait of Hormuz

Three oil tankers struck naval mines and caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, according to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. One of the vessels was a supertanker carrying more than 2 million barrels of oil. The Guard stated that all three ships were using unauthorized routes through the strait when the explosions occurred.

Iran has controlled much of the waterway since the war between the U.S., Israel, and Iran began on Feb. 28. Tehran warned last month that vessels passing without permission would face destruction. The Guard’s navy reported that two of the tankers had turned off their navigation and positioning systems and ignored radio warnings before hitting the mines. Iranian state media did not identify the vessels or provide details about the crews.

Oman announced that it evacuated 25 crew members from a Panama-flagged tanker that was attacked 1.6 nautical miles off the coast of Musandam Governorate. The ship caught fire after the attack. It is not yet clear if this incident is connected to the three tankers reported by Iran.

In Saudi Arabia, the coalition said it intercepted and destroyed a drone launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels near Mecca. Mecca is Islam’s holiest city and receives millions of pilgrims annually. Yahya Saree, the Houthi military spokesperson, denied targeting the city. He said the group’s operations focus on Saudi oil facilities and military bases.

The United Nations reported that more than 281,000 people are now displaced in Yemen. Fighting continues between Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed government forces. A U.N. statement said the crisis is spreading rather than stabilizing.

Diplomatic efforts to end the war continued as Qatari mediators returned to Tehran on Friday. The delegation was led by Qatar’s foreign minister and a senior adviser to the prime minister. They met with senior Iranian officials. This visit followed a letter from U.S. Vice President JD Vance to Maj. Gen. Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. Tehran acknowledged receipt of the letter on Thursday but had not responded. President Donald Trump suggested the letter concerned humanitarian aid rather than peace negotiations.

In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces demolished two homes in Hebron on Friday. The homes belonged to Palestinian gunmen who killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others in an attack last week. Israel launched a military operation after the attack, killing both gunmen. The U.N. humanitarian office said more than 3,000 people were displaced by the operation. U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk warned that the measures were punitive and called for displaced residents to be allowed home.