Iran reports four oil tankers on fire in Hormuz as Trump signals end to war

• Iran's IRGC claims four oil tankers caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz; reports remain unverified

• Trump says the Iran war could end soon but demands nuclear guarantees

• Qatar renews mediation as Tehran confirms receiving a US letter on ending the war

Iran's conflict with the United States and its regional allies showed fresh signs of escalation on Friday, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claiming that four oil tankers had caught fire and exploded in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz while attempting to navigate what Tehran described as “unauthorised routes”.

The latest maritime incidents come amid continuing tensions between Tehran and Washington, even as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict gather momentum. US President Donald Trump has said the war with Iran could be brought to an end soon, while insisting that Washington needs assurances that Tehran will never develop a nuclear weapon.

According to Iranian state media, the IRGC Navy said the tankers were attempting to use shipping routes that Iran considers unauthorised. It claimed that one of the vessels, carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil, struck a naval mine, triggering an explosion and fire.

However, the claims have not been independently verified. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency has separately reported attacks on commercial vessels in the region, including a tanker struck by an unidentified projectile south of Iran's Lavan Island. It remains unclear whether these incidents involved the same vessels cited by the IRGC.

Amid the rising tensions, Trump said he expected the war with Iran to be wrapped up soon, although he did not outline a specific timeline or explain how an agreement could be reached.

“We need a guarantee there’ll never be a nuclear weapon,” Trump said in an interview with a US radio station on Friday.

The US administration has maintained that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons remains a central objective of its policy towards Tehran.

Diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the conflict have gained renewed attention, with a Qatari delegation returning to Tehran to continue mediation efforts between Iran and the United States.

Iranian media reported the delegation's arrival as regional tensions continued to mount. An Iranian source also confirmed to Al Jazeera that Tehran had received a letter from Washington concerning efforts to end the war.

The renewed diplomatic engagement comes despite stalled negotiations between the two countries and concerns over the possibility of fresh US military action against Iran.

The conflict's wider regional impact was also evident in Saudi Arabia, where the Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed to have intercepted drones over the kingdom's Eastern, Medina and Mecca regions.

The Houthis, however, denied launching any attacks towards Saudi Arabia on Friday.

The latest developments underline the growing regional security concerns surrounding the Iran conflict, with tensions over maritime routes, military operations and diplomatic negotiations continuing simultaneously.

With agency inputs