Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said late Wednesday that its Navy took control of two "intruding" US LUCAS drones in the Strait of Hormuz and landed them intact, according to Kurdistan24, which cited an IRGC statement carried by Iranian state media and reported by Reuters.

The IRGC said two oil tankers and a tugboat caught fire in separate incidents the night before after attempting to use unauthorized routes.

Separately, The National reported that the Iranian Navy said a third tanker had caught fire in the strait, part of a live live-blog on the war that also noted Iran says it destroyed a US drone over Qeshm Island.

The drone-capture claim is the latest in a rapid series of IRGC announcements this week.

Kurdistan24 reports the Guards said three tankers caught fire in the strait on Tuesday, that four more struck mines on a prohibited route on Wednesday and were still burning, and that a US MQ-9 drone was shot down.

The IRGC claims 11 tankers caught fire in the strait in the nine days to November 2, several of which sank.

None of these claims could be independently verified, and Kurdistan24 notes Washington has not confirmed the earlier drone-capture claims, which included an MQM-170 and an unmanned underwater vehicle.

Independent confirmation remains limited.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations center reported on Wednesday that two unidentified projectiles struck a tanker about 26 kilometers off the coast of Oman, with no casualties or pollution reported, though it did not link the incident to the IRGC's announcements, per Kurdistan24.

The IRGC framed the tanker fires as the result of ships striking mines on routes Iran has not authorized, saying it is pressing vessels to use a northern passage through Iranian waters instead of the southern lane designated by Oman.

The group said its Navy continues to manage the strait with full control.

The strait remains a global oil chokepoint, and the dispute over routes is entangled with the wider war and its politics.

The IRGC accused Washington of encouraging ships to cross a mined route, said American taxpayers and allies are forced to pay large insurance costs of damaged vessels, and claimed that releasing Iran's blocked funds would have cost less than half of what has already been paid, Kurdistan24 reports.

It marked 250 days since the war began on February 28 and warned that breaking the strait's rules would bring more losses.

The National's live coverage also recorded Trump admitting the Iran war cost Republicans the midterms, oil prices falling under $95 a barrel, and the US keeping the door open to negotiations as it weighs possible new strikes after Monday's limited strikes on Qeshm Island.