Iran just said it mined two more tankers and oil is spiking again

Iran just said it again.

Two more oil supertankers have hit mines in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

And here's the thing. This is the sixth time in under two weeks it's said this exact thing.

So what does Iran say happened this time? Two tankers, carrying 4.5 million barrels of crude between them, tried to use an unauthorised route through the southern strait a few hours ago. They hit mines. There were explosions and fires. Both ships lost power and stopped dead. The crews got off.

Iran hasn't said which ships. No names, no flags, no exact location.

Now, that word unauthorised is doing a lot of work. It's Iran's framing, not a fact. Iran took control of the strait when its war with the US and Israel started in February, and since then it's said ships need its permission to pass through.

Tankers that stick to the US-protected lane near Oman's coast have mostly been left alone. The ones Iran says it keeps hitting are the ones trying a different route, often with their location systems and phones switched off.

So is this new? Not really.

Al Jazeera reported near-identical statements from the IRGC on 11 October, 18 October, 20 October and 22 October. Two days ago, Iran said seven tankers were hit in a single day. That's the biggest one-day total it's said since the war began. Al Jazeera says that figure could not be independently verified.

Same story today. No flag state, no shipping company and no independent monitor has confirmed the strike, the ships' identities, or whether anyone was hurt.

And America tells it completely differently, every time.

A US Central Command official told Al Jazeera two days ago that Iran's mine statements are wrong. The official said American forces have cleared the shipping lanes of mines, and that Iran is actually using missiles and drones, not mines. The same official said the strait is still open, with 95% of vessels getting through.