Two tankers on fire. Iran: Affected mines

The ships "caught fire and were disabled after encountering mines laid by the IRGC Navy along a route deemed illegal (running) south of the strait," said a statement published on the website of Sepah News, the IRGC's official media, and quoted by AFP. There is no information on when the incident occurred.

The Guard Corps also reported that on the night of Monday to Tuesday, Iran shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone.

Iran mined part of the strait

Iranian authorities maintain that they control the Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately one-fifth of the world's oil and gas supplies were transported before the start of the war with the US and Israel.

After the conflict broke out at the end of February, Iran mined a previously widely used waterway leading through the central part of the strait and announced that passage would only be possible for vessels that agree on navigation with Tehran, pay a significant amount and use the new northern route. Meanwhile, the US announced that it will help ships trying to cross Hormuz via the track off the coast of Oman.

The AFP agency emphasized that attacks on vessels trying to leave the Persian Gulf under the escort of the US Navy have intensified in recent days. According to analysts quoted by this agency, Iran is trying to show that, despite the ongoing conflict, it has retained the ability to disrupt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

A proposal for Americans

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi recalled that Iran presented the United States with a proposal to unblock the strait in mid-September, after the breakdown of the temporary ceasefire. Washington submitted its comments, which - as the minister assured - are currently being analyzed by Tehran.

Our proposal is still valid and if there was even a modicum of honesty on the American side, which there is none, the path to reopening the Strait of Hormuz would be obvious, Aragchi said during a meeting in Baghad, quoted by Reuters.

The seven conditions set by Iran include: lifting the US blockade of Iranian ports, withdrawing US sanctions on the export of Iranian oil and ending military operations on all fronts in the region. According to Aragchi, if Washington accepts these demands, the strait could be opened within six days.