A senior Iranian official called Qatar’s ideas “unacceptable,” while Reuters reports Tehran is considering the draft.
TEHRAN – Iran’s military said Thursday that at least four tankers caught fire after striking mines near the Strait of Hormuz, a day after the US military said it had cleared key routes through the waterway. The claims could not immediately be verified, and the US disputes that the lanes are mined.
The Revolutionary Guards said three tankers exploded and caught fire in the past 24 hours on what Iran calls an unauthorized southern route, after switching off radar and navigation systems and ignoring warnings. Iran’s army later said a fourth tanker was damaged and caught fire east of the strait. AFP said it was unclear when the incidents occurred or which flags the vessels flew. The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said a vessel identified as a dhow caught fire and sank nine nautical miles north of Khasab, Oman, and its crew was safely evacuated. The Guards also said they captured a US MQM-170 drone.
A Guards spokesman challenged US Central Command to prove its claim that primary transit routes are clear with independent evidence. Iran has severely restricted traffic through the strait, which normally carries about a fifth of global oil and gas, since the war began on Feb. 28. The United States has blockaded Iranian ports and helped tankers transit, and says it has helped Gulf states export 1.5 billion barrels since the summer.
On diplomacy, Reuters reported that Qatari mediators handed Iran a new draft deal to end the war on Sunday, citing an official briefed on the talks, and that Tehran is considering it and is set to respond by the end of the week. A senior Iranian official denied that a new proposal was presented, saying Qatar came with “unacceptable” ideas and that Tehran would show no flexibility on the nuclear issue. Reuters’ source said Tehran feared Israel could resume bombing this week.
The war has cost the US military at least $47.1 billion as of mid-October, including $29 billion to replace munitions, according to a Central Command estimate obtained by CBS News. The estimate does not include damage to US bases in the Middle East.
This report draws on information from AFP, Reuters and CBS News.