Iran claims 11 tankers “caught fire” in 9 days as U.S. commander declared Strait of Hormuz “free and clear”
Iran’s government-run broadcaster IRIB said Monday that 11 oil tankers had “caught fire” in the Strait of Hormuz in the previous nine days, disputing U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper’s assertion last week that “all primary transit routes in the Strait of Hormuz remain free and clear.”
In a post on X, IRIB said the 11 tankers had caught on fire since Oct. 25, the day on which it claimed Cooper made his recent fly-over of the strait.
The Iranian network offered no evidence, but claimed some of the vessels sank “to the depths of the sea.”
Since the start of the war in February, Iran has targeted vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz in an effort to assert control over the narrow waterway, through which about a fifth of the world’s crude oil supply typically passed prior to the conflict.
Cooper said last week in a Friday video statement that he saw no Iranian navy vessels in the strait during his flyover earlier in the week.
Later Friday, however, the U.K. navy’s Maritime Trade Operations center said there had been 30 attacks on commercial vessels in the month of October alone, a record high.
The U.S. military and President Trump have repeatedly declared Iran’s navy destroyed and insisted that southern shipping lanes through the strait are available to merchant vessels, but ongoing Iranian threats and attacks have kept the risks and costs for shippers high, which has helped Tehran keep maintain pressure on global energy prices.
Iran again warns of natural gas shortages ahead of winter
Iranian officials repeated warnings Monday of possible gas shortages for residents ahead of the winter, and they called on people to conserve the resource.
First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said he had to be honest about the stability of Iran’s gas network in the colder months, as he asked the public to help conserve it.
Aref cited “imbalances accumulated over previous years and war-related damages,” and warned that prices would increase for consumers who fail to conserve.
It is not the first time an Iranian official has warned about shortages. On October 25, Iran’s parliament speaker said natural gas consumption across Iran had to be reduced by 10%.
Iran’s economy has been devastated by years of international sanctions, and the U.S. turn to economic warfare after the initial bombing campaigns of the ongoing conflict have strained finances for Tehran even further. The regime has not shown any willingness to bend on its demands to end the war, however, despite the economic pain for most Iranians.
Iran says the “ball is in the U.S. court” on any prospective peace deal
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said Monday that the next move in the standoff with the United States is for President Trump to make.
“The ball is in the U.S. court, because our demands have been stated very clearly and transparently, and Iran’s demands are reasonable and logical,” Esmaeil Baqaei told journalists in Tehran.
Baqaei said ongoing negotiations, which have been brokered by Qatar, Pakistan and other mediators, were centered around the a seven-day proposal that Iran originally presented to the U.S. side in September, which calls for frozen Iranian assets to be released, the U.S. naval blockade to be lifted and an end to fighting on all fronts, in exchange for the phased reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and further negotiations on other topics.
President Trump rejected the initial proposal, but both sides have since exchanged revisions, and Mr. Trump has said repeatedly in recent weeks that he just needs to make a decision on whether to launch new attacks on Iran, or to make a deal to end the war.
Speaking Sunday to a radio network ahead of a campaign rally in Iowa, Mr. Trump said he would finish with the war soon, “one way or the other.”
“Either they’ll make a deal, or we’ll just end it,” he said, without offering any further context.
Netanyahu reportedly pushes for new U.S. strikes on Iran
President Trump told reporters Sunday that he’d spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday and had a “very good talk with him.”
Mr. Trump gave no details but said the two had discussed the war in Iran.
According to sources cited by Axios, Netanyahu pushed for Mr. Trump to strike Iran but the president wants to let the negotiations play out.
The U.S. and Iran both engaged in indirect talks via mediators led by Qatar who are pushing to strike a deal between both sides before the conflict escalated.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly hinted he is considering resuming attacks on Iran after the midterm elections.
Push for U.S.-Iran deal shadowed by threats to resume fighting
Qatari mediators are leading indirect talks aimed at reaching a deal between the U.S. and Iran, but the closed door negotiations have been punctuated by exchanges of threats between the leaders of both countries.
Iranian negotiators are in Qatar for talks on a proposal that could reopen the Strait of Hormuz soon, according to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who added the outcome depends on answers provided by the United States.
On Saturday, President Trump said the U.S. still had to “take care of” one or two more potential targets in Iran, citing a suspected nuclear complex at Pickaxe Mountain. On Sunday he reiterated the threat, saying he may have to give Tehran “the hammer” at some unspecified time.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei warned on Saturday there would be no “geographical limitations” should the fighting with the U.S. resume, adding that there is a “vast theatre” to inflict damage.
Both sides have previously acknowledged that indirect talks are underway but consistently exchange threats.
CBS/AFP
UAE hopes for diplomacy but braces for “the worst”
The United Arab Emirates’ presidential adviser said Sunday that his country hopes a diplomatic breakthrough in Qatar-led mediations is possible, but that they are also preparing for the possibility of escalation.
Speaking at a security forum in Bahrain, Anwar Gargash said Iran’s attacks on Gulf countries such as the UAE made this a “watershed year” for the region.
“We don’t really want to see another round of confrontation in the region,” Gargash told the audience. But he added that his country and the region are braced for the “the worst,” referring to the resumption of active hostilities.
The UAE was consistently targeted by Tehran in the opening weeks of the war in retribution for U.S. strikes on Iran, disrupting tourism and daily life, and effectively throwing the security landscape of the region into question.
CBS/AP
Vessel struck in Strait of Hormuz, U.K. maritime agency says
A vessel was struck on Sunday by “an unknown projectile” in the Strait of Hormuz, a British maritime security agency said, after Qatari media reported an earlier attack on a gas tanker.
Britain’s UKMTO maritime agency said “the master of a merchant vessel has relayed a mayday call… stating that another vessel has been struck by an unknown projectile” in the strait.
Earlier, Qatar’s state news agency said a Qatari gas tanker had been attacked on Friday with “unidentified objects” while transiting Gulf waters. None of the crew members onboard the vessel were injured, and there was no environmental impact from the attack, the report said.
The attack struck a liquefied natural gas carrier, Al Mayeda, which belongs to the Qatar Gas Transport Company, Qatar News Agency said.
Since the Middle East war began in February, Iran has been targeting vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and the wider Gulf in an effort to assert control over shipping.
Trump says war in Iran will be put away “very soon, one way or the other”
President Trump said he believes the U.S. will soon put the war with Iran away, “one way or the other.”
The president was speaking to Right Side Broadcasting Network before a campaign rally in Iowa on Sunday.
“We’ve had such a victory, and we’ll put it away very soon, one way or the other,” Mr. Trump said. “Either they’ll make a deal, or we’ll just end it… The job we’ve done is amazing.”
Earlier Sunday, Iran’s top diplomat said he hopes there is “rationality” on the U.S. side as diplomatic efforts seek to avert a return to all-out war.