Iran says two tankers hit mines near Hormuz as explosions shake Qeshm and Jask

Iran's military says two oil tankers caught fire after striking mines as they tried to sail through what it called an "unauthorised route" near the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that carries a large share of the world's oil.

Iranian state media also reported two explosions on Qeshm Island and several in the port of Jask on Saturday evening. The cause was not clear. Iranian officials did not say whether US strikes were responsible.

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that American forces had carried out "minor" strikes on an Iranian air defence system. Earlier in the week, the US hit an air defence site on Qeshm, which US officials described as defensive action after Iranian missiles were fired at American forces. Trump has said he is weighing a new wave of strikes now that the US midterm elections are over.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it had dropped its own 2,000-kilometre limit on the range of its ballistic missiles, although Iran is not known to have missiles that can fly much further than that.

On the diplomatic side, Qatar has put forward proposals to settle differences between Tehran and Washington, including over Iran's nuclear programme. Iran is reviewing them, and Trump discussed the mediation with Qatar's emir on Friday. An Iranian official said Tehran would not negotiate on its nuclear activities unless the US first met several conditions.