Arab News, on Iran, 20 October 2026

3.0out of 10Minor

Iran Guards say three tankers hit mines crossing Hormuz strait

Tap a highlight to see why it matters.2 findings

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- Tehran considered the crossing route illegal.

TEHRAN: Iranian Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday that their naval mines halted three tankers attempting to travel the Strait of Hormuz via routes considered illegal by Tehran.

“Two violating oil tankers were set ablaze and halted due to the explosion of mines planted by the brave sailors of the IRGC Navy at an illegal crossing point in the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz,” the Guards said in a statement on their official Sepah News website.

The Guards later said in a statement carried by state TV that a third oil tanker “exploded and caught fire after striking a naval mine south of the Strait of Hormuz.”

The statement added that the tanker “carrying over 2 million barrels of crude oil, had deactivated all of its radar and navigation systems.”

Iranian forces have, since the outbreak of the Middle East war, repeatedly targeted ships attempting to pass through Hormuz via a southern route close to the Omani coast.

The conflict began on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran, killing the country’s supreme leader, along with senior military commanders.

Iran has attempted to blockade the strategic waterway, demanding all ships seek its authorization to cross. In peacetime, the Hormuz strait carried around a fifth of the world’s oil supplies.

, the United States has imposed a counterblockade on Iranian ports and ships.

On Tuesday, Ali Abdollahi, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces said the country is using cheap weapons to attack expensive US equipment.

“Should the enemy commit any further errors, we will neutralize the impact of their expensive, advanced equipment using a wide array of low-cost yet effective equipment.”

Attacks on vessels attempting to cross the waterway have increased in recent days, as Washington seeks to escort more ships through the strait while Tehran seeks to maintain control over their passage.

The Guards have in recent days said several tankers were hit by mines in the strategic waterway.

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What we found (2)

Arab News reports the Revolutionary Guards' claim that their mines hit three tankers, and it attributes that claim clearly in the headline and body. It names the United States and Israel as the side that began the war and killed Iran's supreme leader. Two small slips: a summary bullet states the Guards' account of the fires as plain fact, and the outlet calls the US counterblockade 'retaliation' in its own voice.

  1. Uses a loaded word

    Minor

    “In retaliation”

    Why this matters
    The words "In retaliation" in the outlet's own voice cast the US counterblockade as a response to Iranian aggression in the strait.
    The impression it gives
    A reader comes away believing Iran started the confrontation at sea and the US only answered it.
    The context
    The article itself says the war began when the United States and Israel attacked Iran. Al Jazeera reports that Iran describes its own stepped-up strikes as a response to the US blockade. Which side is answering which is contested, and the outlet gives the word only to the US action.

    How we know

    Show it in the article

  2. States one side's claim as fact

    Minor

    “Two tankers caught fire due to the explosions.”

    Why this matters
    The summary bullet states that two tankers caught fire from the explosions as a plain fact. It gives no source.
    The impression it gives
    A reader takes the fires as independently confirmed.
    The context
    The only source in the article is a Guards statement. Al Jazeera notes the ships' names and cargo origins were not immediately available, so nothing beyond the IRGC account confirms the damage.

    How we know

    Show it in the article

What it gets right

  • “when the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran, killing the country’s supreme leader, along with senior military commanders”

    It names who started the war and uses the word killing for the supreme leader's death, with the actors in the active voice.

  • “Iran Guards say three tankers hit mines”

    The headline keeps the attribution to the Guards rather than stating the strikes as confirmed fact.

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