Middle East war: Iran claims tankers hit mines in Strait of Hormuz, UKMTO confirms strike off Oman; fired US general reportedly admitted Iran leaks

The Saudi-led coalition said on Friday that it had intercepted and destroyed a drone launched by Yemen’s Houthis in the Makkah Al-Mukarramah region, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). The interception came hours after the coalition said it had shot down two Houthi ballistic missiles fired towards Riyadh on Thursday.

Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, the Pentagon’s former military planner, admitted disclosing classified information about Iran and Ukraine to two journalists over a year, according to an internal investigation report reviewed by Axios.

The October 29 report supports the substance of the claim, but the alleged admissions remain attributed to investigative records and unnamed officials, not a public guilty plea or court judgment.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth removed Sylvia as director of strategy, plans and policy for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the position known as "J5".

Axios reported that contacts began as early as June 2025 and included Signal communications and a meeting at a diner in Arlington, Virginia.

The investigation report alleged that Sylvia used notes from a classified document to discuss US assistance to Ukraine without obtaining public affairs coordination or clearance.

Axios said Sylvia cooperated with questioning and provided his personal telephone for forensic examination. He did not immediately respond to its requests for comment.

Separately, CBS News and The Associated Press reported that the case had been referred to the Justice Department.

The dismissal comes amid Hegseth’s campaign against unauthorised disclosures, including a Pentagon-Justice Department task force announced in July and restrictive rules governing reporters’ access.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy claimed that three oil tankers exploded and caught fire after striking naval mines while attempting to leave the Strait of Hormuz through what Tehran described as an "unauthorised" southern route.

The IRGC alleged that the vessels had switched off their radar and navigation systems and ignored warnings from Iranian forces.

However, the three-tanker mine-strike claim has not been independently verified. The Associated Press reported that it could not confirm Iran's account.

United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), on the other hand, reported that a tanker was hit by a projectile at around 1600 GMT (8pm UAE time) on Thursday (Oct. 29).

Iran's description of the route as unauthorised is also its own position, not an independently established determination of the vessels' legal status.

A tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile while leaving the Strait of Hormuz on October 29, prompting renewed maritime security concerns as Iran reported multiple vessels catching fire in the strategic waterway.

The main tanker incident is confirmed by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). The agency said it received a report that a tanker was hit by an unknown projectile at around 1600 GMT (8pm UAE time) while completing an outbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz.

There were no reported crew injuries or environmental impact at the time of the initial report. Authorities are investigating.

The incident was reported near Khasab, Oman, although the precise position of the vessel was not publicly specified in the initial account.

UKMTO advised ships operating in the area to exercise caution and report suspicious activity.

UKMTO confirmed the tanker was struck, but did not identify the weapon, establish who fired it or attribute responsibility to Iran.

US envoy Tom Barrack has credited Qatar and Pakistan with helping bring the United States and Iran closer to renewed diplomacy, urging both sides to pause hostilities before tensions escalate further.

Speaking to CNN on Thursday, October 29, Barrack said regional allies had helped create an opening for Washington and Tehran to agree on a process for de-escalation.

“Let’s have a time out. Let’s have a time out, bring temperatures down,” he said, describing the two sides as “very close” to reaching that initial understanding.

Barrack cautioned that a pause would not immediately resolve the conflict but could give the region room to establish its own pace towards a broader settlement.

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran’s seven conditions must be agreed upon before progress can be made, adding that a “carrot-and-stick approach” would have no effect on Iran.

In a post on X, Ghalibaf said Iran’s conditions had been repeatedly and clearly communicated to mediators.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said on Thursday it had downed two ballistic missiles launched by the Iran-backed group towards Riyadh, soon after AFP correspondents heard explosions in the capital.

"Air defences intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the terrorist Houthi militia towards Riyadh," coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said in a post on X.

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Day 236: Iran's Guards threaten to hit US bases