At least 25 seafarers have been killed in and around the Strait of Hormuz since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began in February, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council on Friday, Al Jazeera reported. [1]
Iran’s military said on Saturday, Nov. 14, that three oil tankers caught fire after striking naval mines in the strait. [2] Unverified claim: the tanker reports rest on statements carried by Iran’s state broadcaster and have not been independently confirmed. [2]
Related: Iran’s Ghalibaf Says Hormuz Will ‘Never Return’ to Pre-War Status as Another Tanker Is Hit.
UN tally of deaths and incidents
Khaled Khiari, the UN assistant secretary-general for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, gave the death toll in a briefing covering the period through Nov. 11. [1]
“This situation cannot be allowed to become the new normal,” Khiari said. [1] He urged the “full restoration of maritime navigation in the region.” [1]
The UN’s International Maritime Organization tracked 136 security incidents involving vessels in Hormuz and the wider Middle East between March 1 and Nov. 11. [1] Thirty-five came in October and 10 in November. [1]
October recorded the most incidents since the war began. [3] The council met at Bahrain’s request to discuss the threat to regional and maritime security. [3]
“Civilian vessels and commercial shipping must not become targets,” Khiari said. [1]
Iran’s mine claims
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said two tankers that had switched off their radar and positioning systems exploded and caught fire after hitting a naval mine. [2] The Guards said the ships were using an unauthorized route in the south of the strait. [2]
A separate statement from Iran’s regular navy said a third tanker caught fire and stopped after striking a mine in a prohibited zone east of the strait. [2]
The statements did not name the vessels or give their origins. [2] The Guards said one of the ships was a supertanker. [2]
Iran’s navy warned that any tanker entering the restricted area east of the strait “will be set on fire by hitting naval mines,” Al Jazeera reported. [1]
The U.S. military has said it cleared the main routes through the waterway of mines and that the strait is open to commercial shipping. [1]
Shipping still far below pre-war levels
Transits through Hormuz remain about 65% below pre-conflict levels, according to the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations agency. [3]
Tehran has demanded that ships obtain its approval to cross the strait during the war. [2] Iran has said the waterway will not reopen until the United States ends its naval blockade of Iranian ports and lifts sanctions, among other demands. [1]
Khiari said disruptions were driving up energy, transport and insurance costs and threatening food security. [1]
More coverage
Follow the conflict on The Boston Report’s Iran war tracker, the energy security page and the world news section. Earlier: Iran Says It Destroyed a U.S. Radar in Bahrain; CENTCOM Says Two Drones Were Shot Down.
Sources
- Al Jazeera: UN says 25 seafarers killed in, around Hormuz since US-Israel war on Iran
- CBS News: Iran war live updates: Iran reports three incidents of oil tankers hit by mines in Hormuz
- UN News: Security Council LIVE: Fragile Gulf calm tested as threats to Hormuz shipping mount
Read next in Iran
Most read this week
- Finland Confirms Strike on Russian Warship in Gulf of Finland; Ukraine’s SBU Claims Drone Attack
- U.S. Envoys Witkoff and Kushner Hold Talks With Putin in Moscow, Then Head to Dublin to Brief Zelensky
- Israeli Strike on Gaza’s Nasser Hospital Kills Six, Including a Surgeon, Health Ministry Says
- Nvidia Board Hires Wachtell’s Joon Kim to Lead Huang Probe as Shares Fall 5.47% and an Investor Sues
- Drones Kill Workers at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear and Thermal Plants, IAEA Says, as Russian Strikes Hit 5 Substations
Latest
- Massachusetts Fights to Stay a Quantum Hub as Washington and Rival States Pour Billions Into the Race
- Blood Test Spots Signs of Advanced CTE in Early Study of 11 Autopsy-Confirmed Cases
- CMS Lets States Hold Off on Medicaid Work-Rule Coverage Cuts Through June 2027
- JSX Will Fly From Hanscom Field to New York and Miami in February, Its First Massachusetts Routes
- Massachusetts Business Filings Up 11% in 2026: Where Boston Founders Get Free Help and Loans
Get The Boston Report Briefing
Our free weekly email with the most important stories from Boston and the world. Unsubscribe anytime.
Free. We never sell your address. Privacy policy