Iran claims three tankers hit mines, US denies drone seizure

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps reported on Thursday that three oil tankers struck mines and caught fire while trying to leave the Strait of Hormuz through a route not authorized for transit. The state broadcaster cited the guard for the claim, noting the incidents occurred within the past 24 hours. Officials said the vessels had switched off their radar and navigation systems and ignored warnings before being abandoned off the southern coast of the waterway. The report did not name the ships or list any casualties, and the Associated Press could not immediately confirm the incident.

A British military monitoring group added its own account of the situation. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center stated that a ship spotted another vessel on fire while passing through the strait on Thursday. The center said it did not know the condition of the crew or the extent of the damage. It remained unclear if this burning ship was one of the three identified by Iranian authorities.

The announcement came as the U.S. military rejected a separate Iranian claim regarding an American drone. Iranian state television reported that the Revolutionary Guard performed an electronic warfare operation to seize control of an MQM-170 Outlaw drone. The report said the unit detected the aircraft and landed it intact in Iran but did not provide a date for the seizure. U.S. Central Command called the story false. Tim Hawkins, a Central Command spokesman, said in an email that the Iranian group had repeatedly lied in recent weeks and months out of desperation. He offered no further details. A similar event occurred in 2011 when Iran claimed to have captured an RQ-170 Sentinel drone, a claim U.S. officials later attributed to a malfunction.

In Israel, citizens are waiting for final election results expected to be released on Thursday evening. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party have amplified allegations that Arab-led parties stole the vote. Final tallies are expected to confirm that Netanyahu’s bloc has lost its parliamentary majority. No single party holds the 61 seats required to govern, leaving the path to power uncertain. Netanyahu pointed to a request by the elections committee for the Shin Bet intelligence service to investigate interference by foreign entities. Although the request did not specifically name Arab-led parties, Netanyahu argued that no party should cooperate with them.

In Yemen, the Houthi-run Health Ministry said a Saudi strike killed 12 people and critically wounded three others in the city of Taiz. The ministry said the attack hit two homes belonging to the same family on Thursday. The Associated Press could not independently verify the figures. Taiz province has been a heavily contested front line between Houthi and government forces, with renewed fighting in recent weeks. A separate Houthi human rights body reported that a strike hit a paint factory late Wednesday. The group blamed government forces for the attack. The strike caused a large fire that could release toxic gases and contaminate nearby soil and groundwater, according to Yemen’s National Human Rights Authority.

In Gaza, an Israeli strike on a civilian vehicle killed two people and wounded another in the central territory on Thursday. Health officials at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital reported the casualties. The Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment. The death toll in Gaza has risen nearly every day since Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in October 2025. The territory’s Health Ministry says more than 1,550 Palestinians have died since that agreement. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and militants in its counts.