Two tankers were set ablaze and brought to a halt south of the Strait of Hormuz after hitting Iranian mines, the Revolutionary Guards' Navy said in a statement shared by state media on Tuesday, without saying when the tankers were hit. The statement also said a US drone was downed by Iran on Monday night. Diplomatic efforts between Iran and the United States have stalled over issues including the future of the Strait of Hormuz. On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Washington was responsible for insecurity in the strait, usually a key transport route for oil and gas but which Iran has sought to blockade during the war launched by the US and Israel in February. Pakistan has played a key mediating role in the so far unsuccessful attempts to end the war. In June, it helped broker a short-lived memorandum of understanding, which Tehran insists should still form the basis of any peace deal.
