TEHRAN, July 18 -- Six tankers became the focus of competing claims Saturday in the Strait of Hormuz: four stopped by what Iran's Revolutionary Guards said was a combination of missiles and drones, and two others that the Guards claimed detonated mines while attempting to transit a corridor south of the strait. The United States military dismissed the mine claims outright.

The IRGC said the four vessels were "rogue tankers" that attempted to transit the Strait of Hormuz without authorization. A combination of missiles and drones was used to halt them, Reuters reported, citing Iranian state television. In a separate statement, the Guards said two oil tankers had "exploded and caught fire" after entering what the IRGC described as a minefi...