Hormuz: the Revolutionary Guards announce four tankers destroyed by mines; “limited” US strikes on Qeshm
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- On 4 November, the Revolutionary Guards announce four tankers destroyed by mines in the south of the Strait of Hormuz.
- No ship names, no casualty figures, no independent verification: everything rests on Iranian statements.
- The United States reportedly carried out “limited” strikes on Qeshm, which Trump confirmed.
- Iran says it is ready to reopen the strait if Washington accepts its demands.
In this article
What has changed since our previous article
Our previous article (news-intl-20261103-iran-trump-accord-pourrait-arriver-ormuz) reported that Donald Trump considered a deal “possible”. Three things are new: the Revolutionary Guards announce four tankers destroyed by mines; the United States reportedly carried out “limited” strikes on the island of Qeshm, in the strait, which Trump confirmed; and Iran says it is ready to reopen the strait if Washington accepts a series of demands.
What is announced
According to franceinfo (AFP, 4 November), the Revolutionary Guards announced on Wednesday 4 November, through state television IRIB, that four “offending” ships, which were trying to cross a “forbidden passage” in the south of the Strait of Hormuz, had hit naval mines and were destroyed, still on fire. Two other ships were reportedly immobilised and a drone shot down. All of this rests on Iranian statements: the article names no ships, owners or flags, reports no casualties and offers no independent verification. The effect on the oil price is not addressed.
Background
According to the article, before the war began at the end of February 2026, about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passed through the strait. Iran has blocked the strait and regularly targets ships that cross it without permission; the United States is blockading Iranian ports, and Washington and Israel threaten to resume large-scale strikes. Iran said on Monday it was ready to reopen the strait if Washington accepts a series of demands, which the article does not detail.
Points not verified
The identity of the ships, the real extent of the damage and the state of any ceasefire or negotiations could not be verified here. One must distinguish what comes from Iranian statements from what is independently confirmed. We will come back to the subject if there is anything new.
Learn the grammar
French grammar
Learn sentence patterns and usage from the article’s own sentences.
01Negation and its scope
ne / n’ … pas · ne … plus
Ce qui est annoncé, ce qui ne l’est pas, et ce qui change depuis notre article précédent.Key pointsNormally ne and pas wrap the verb. Before a vowel, ne becomes n’. Check which part of the sentence the negation covers. Ne … plus means “no longer”.
02Citing a source with selon
selon + noun / organisation
Selon franceinfo (AFP, 4 novembre), les Gardiens de la révolution ont annoncé le mercredi 4 novembre, par la télévision d’État IRIB, que quatre navires « contrevenants », qui tentaient de franchir un « passage interdit » dans le sud du détroit d’Ormuz, avaient heurté des mines navales et étaient détruits, encore en flammes.Key pointsSelon means “according to”. Put a person or organisation after it as the source. It separates facts the writer checked directly from what another body or report said. Citing a source does not turn a forecast into an accomplished fact.
03Pouvoir: ability and possibility
peut / peuvent / pourrait + infinitive
Notre article précédent (news-intl-20261103-iran-trump-accord-pourrait-arriver-ormuz) rapportait que Donald Trump jugeait un accord « possible ».Key pointsPut a base-form verb after pouvoir. Peut means “can” or “may”; the conditional pourrait gives a more reserved possibility, “might”. It does not necessarily mean implementation is settled.
04The passé composé for events
present of avoir + past participle
Les Gardiens de la révolution iraniens ont annoncé le 4 novembre que quatre pétroliers avaient été détruits par des mines dans le sud du détroit d’Ormuz.Key pointsIt reports past events, as in “announced” or “explained”. A / ont is the auxiliary avoir and the next word is the past participle. The passé composé alone does not tell you the date of the event.
05The present of être
est / sont + complement
Trois éléments sont nouveaux : les Gardiens de la révolution annoncent quatre pétroliers détruits par des mines ; les États-Unis auraient mené des frappes « limitées » sur l’île de Qeshm, dans le détroit, ce que Trump a confirmé ; et l’Iran se dit prêt à rouvrir le détroit si Washington accepte une série d’exigences.Key pointsEst is third-person singular and sont third-person plural of être. They express “is / are” — a state or description. If a past participle follows, it is a different structure such as the passive, so check the words that follow.
06The subject relative pronoun qui
noun + qui + verb
L’Iran a bloqué le détroit et cible régulièrement les navires qui le franchissent sans autorisation ; les États-Unis imposent un blocus aux ports iraniens, et Washington et Israël menacent de reprendre des frappes à grande échelle.Key pointsQui continues a description of the person or thing just mentioned (“the one that does…”). Because qui is itself the subject of the next verb, do not repeat the subject. The verb agrees with the noun qui refers to.
Japanese grammar
Understand the structure and usage from the text.
01Citing a source: によると
noun + によると
franceinfo（AFP、4日）によると、革命防衛隊は11月4日（水）、国営放送IRIBを通じて、「禁止された通路」を通ろうとした違反船4隻が、ホルムズ海峡の南部で機雷に触れて破壊され、まだ燃えていると発表しました。Key pointsAs in “LCPによると”, it shows where the information comes from. What that source reported follows. It is used differently from “私にとって”, which gives one’s own opinion.
02Indicating the subject: について
noun + について
記事は、船の名前、運航会社、船籍、死傷者について書いておらず、独立した確認もありません。Key pointsAs in “予算について”, it shows the topic to be talked about or explained. In the form “〜についての報道”, の is added so that the group qualifies the following noun.
03The polite past ました
verb stem (連用形) + ました
イランの革命防衛隊が4日、ホルムズ海峡の南部で、タンカー4隻が機雷に触れて破壊されたと発表しました。Key pointsIn “発表しました”, ました makes a verb polite past. The negative is “ませんでした”. Read the actual date together with the date and time in the text.
04Quoting with と: content and report
plain-form sentence + と + verbe de parole (報じる, 説明する…)
前回（news-intl-20261103-iran-trump-accord-pourrait-arriver-ormuz）は、トランプ氏が合意は「あり得る」と述べたことを伝えました。Key pointsと takes the content that is reported or explained. In “改定する方針だと報じました”, “改定する方針だ” is what the report said. Separating the content from who said it and how makes long sentences easier to read.
05Treating a clause like a noun with こと
plain-form sentence + こと + particle
前回（news-intl-20261103-iran-trump-accord-pourrait-arriver-ormuz）は、トランプ氏が合意は「あり得る」と述べたことを伝えました。Key points“〜すること” treats an action or content like a noun. The particle after it (が・を・は…) shows its role in the sentence. “ことができる” is a fixed combination meaning “can”.
06Possibility in Japanese: できる・られる
verb potential form / 〜ことができる
船の特定、被害の実態、停戦や交渉の進み具合は、ここでは確認できませんでした。Key pointsできる is the basic verb for ability. The potential form of 受ける is 受けられる. The same られる can also be passive or honorific, so decide from the meaning of the sentence.