Four oil tankers were destroyed by mines in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iran's Revolutionary Guard

Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed on Wednesday that another four oil tankers had been destroyed by mines in the Strait of Hormuz. The Islamic Republic's elite military force said on state television Irib that the vessels continued to burn. The Guards also reported that they had shot down a drone over the strait, one of the most important maritime routes for the global transport of energy.

The incident comes amid an escalation of the conflict between Iran, the United States, and Israel. Before the outbreak of the war, approximately one-fifth of the oil and liquefied natural gas traded on international markets was transported through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Revolutionary Guards' announcement came several hours after U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed that the United States had struck targets on Monday night on the Iranian island of Qeshm, located in the strait.

Tehran has declared itself willing to reopen the strait, but only if Washington accepts several conditions.