UN Maritime Chief Says Hormuz Still Has Mines as Iran Calls U.S. Response "Insufficient"

Sea mines are still a danger in the Strait of Hormuz, the head of the United Nations' shipping agency said, as Iran called Washington's latest answer in talks to end the conflict "insufficient."

International Maritime Organization Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez told Fox News Digital that the agency cannot say the waterway is safe. "The traffic separation scheme, the information that we have is that they still have mines," he said. "So in the meantime, we cannot guarantee that a vessel that intends to transit that route will not be hit by a mine."

Mines Back in the Shipping Lanes

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy said Saturday that two oil tankers caught fire after striking naval mines while crossing the strait, Reuters reported, citing Iran's official IRNA news agency. Iranian state media said the two ships were carrying about 2 million barrels of crude oil and claimed they had switched off their positioning and radar systems to use a route Iran had not authorized, according to Reuters. One of the tankers was left immobilized, the report said.

Tehran is running its own shipping corridor inside Iranian territorial waters, with tolls and "safety fees" collected by the IRGC, Fox News reported. Washington and the IMO reject that setup as inconsistent with international maritime law.

Dominguez said the only route the IMO recognizes is the traffic separation scheme adopted in 1968. "There's only one route that should be used for transit, but it's not clear of mines right now, so it's not safe," he said. He added that Iran told the agency about its "temporary route" but never put it through the IMO's approval process.

The Strait of Hormuz is "not open for business in the way that it was before the conflict started," Dominguez said.

Talks Stall Over Iran's Conditions

The warning came as negotiations between the United States and Iran stalled. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said Tehran considered Washington's latest response "insufficient," Reuters reported, citing IRNA. Rezaei said the U.S. had accepted some of Iran's seven conditions but that other issues remained unresolved, adding that Tehran was no longer responding and that Washington needed to clarify the outstanding matters.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran had sent Washington a proposal through Qatar, which is mediating, that would reopen the strait and restore normal traffic within seven days. "Our proposal is still on the table," Araghchi said in Baghdad, according to Reuters, adding that "the way to reopening the Strait of Hormuz is obvious."

What It Means for Shipping

Attacks on commercial ships around the strait have surged over the past two weeks, Fox News reported. The IMO said its job for now is to prepare for traffic to resume once the conflict's "root causes are addressed," which Dominguez said are beyond the agency's control.

Hold Everyone Accountable.

Sources: Fox News, "Sea mine crisis re-emerges in Strait of Hormuz as Tehran urges Washington to accept deal" (Oct. 20, 2026): https://www.foxnews.com/world/sea-mine-crisis-re-emerges-strait-hormuz-tehran-urges-washington-accept-deal