Russia: Vladimir Putin spoke to Iran about building a gas pipeline

According to Iranian sources, the two held discussions in Moscow about, among other things, the possible construction of a gas pipeline between the two countries.

The construction of a pipeline would make it possible to “resolve the gas shortage on the domestic market in Iran,” Resaei told journalists. In addition, the “transmission of Russian gas to neighboring countries” could be guaranteed.

The Islamic Republic is suffering from an increased shortage of natural gas as a result of the war started by the USA and Israel in late February. According to information from Tehran, gas plants, especially in the south of the country, were hit by US attacks and refineries failed. At the end of October, the authorities called on people in Iran to save on gas consumption.

Iran reports fires on five tankers and a tugboat in the Strait of Hormuz

According to Iranian sources, five oil tankers and a tugboat caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz. The Revolutionary Guards reported on Thursday that two tankers and a tugboat were affected, and the Iranian army reported three more tankers that had hit sea mines. There was initially no independent confirmation of the incidents from shipping authorities:

A large oil tanker hit a mine during the night and caught fire, the revolutionary guards said, according to the Fars news agency. The ship attempted to traverse an "illegal passage south of the Strait of Hormuz."

A tug that approached the second tanker to extinguish the fire also caught fire.

Another tanker came to a standstill due to a major fire while leaving the eastern part of the strait.

The Iranian army later reported three more incidents. Early in the morning, an oil tanker hit a sea mine east of the strait.

Around midday, two more tankers hit mines in the waters there and caught fire, the official Irna news agency reported.

Meanwhile, the British monitoring agency UKMTO reported an attack on a tanker around 90 kilometers off the northern coast of Qatar. The ship was hit by two unidentified projectiles. UKMTO did not provide any information about damage or possible victims. The site of the attack is about 500 kilometers west of the Strait of Hormuz.

Since the start of the Iran war at the end of February, Tehran has largely blocked the strait, which is important for global trade in oil and gas. The waterway, which is important for the global oil trade, normally transports around a fifth of the world's oil consumption. Iran regularly attacks ships there that it accuses of passing through without its authorization.

In response, the US has imposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports and is supporting ships transiting the strait.