Strait of Hormuz unstable as tankers reportedly hit mines - NHKニュース

Iran's state-run media has cited the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as saying that two oil tankers using an unauthorized route through the Strait of Hormuz exploded after colliding with naval mines.

The media also reported on Monday that the Navy announced that a tanker operating in a restricted area in the eastern part of the strait caught fire after colliding with a mine.

The IRGC claimed on Monday that 11 vessels that it said had violated Iran's rules for passage had been set on fire during the nine days through Monday. It said some of them sank.

The situation in the strait remains unstable ahead of the US midterm elections, in which the impact of rising fuel prices is a major campaign issue.

Amid speculation about a possible resumption of US attacks on Iran, a spokesperson for Iran's foreign ministry, Esmaeil Baghaei, said on Monday that the exchange of messages between the US and Iran through mediation by Qatar is ongoing.

Baghaei said Iran's previous proposal to open the strait within seven days can be shortened to within two days if conditions are met. He said "the ball is in the United States' court" and that the strait will not be reopened unless the US maritime blockade ends and Iran's demands are fully met.

Baghaei added that US electoral developments "are not the basis for Tehran's strategic decision-making" and the outcome of the US midterm elections will not change Iran's policies.