US and Iran both claim control of Strait of Hormuz amid attacks on vessels

Tehran, Iran – Dozens of ships were attacked successful oregon adjacent the Strait of Hormuz successful October arsenic Iran and the United States vie to asseverate their authorization implicit the waterway.

At slightest 12 ships were attacked successful the week ending connected October 16, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported precocious Friday, with 1 important caveat.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 3Fighting successful Yemen intensifies: What’s the latest connected the battlefield?
• list 2 of 3Iraq devalues dinar to easiness currency crunch, leaving traders successful limbo
• list 3 of 3Containers and debris captured floating astir the Strait of Hormuz

“UKMTO is struggling to accurately study existent fig of attacks with bulk of vessels attacked refusing to study to UKMTO,” the maritime information organisation stated. It said it was alert of much incidents successful the waterway via different sources but could not verify them owed to a deficiency of information.

The aforesaid signifier has been existent for the archetypal fractional of October. The period has seen the highest fig of vessel attacks since the commencement of the US-Israel warfare connected Iran, which began connected February 28.

Of the 12 vessels that were confirmed attacked, the organisation said fractional continued to their destination oregon reached port. One sank, 2 were disabled, and 3 were either damaged oregon had an unconfirmed outcome.

The UKMTO besides reported a caller benignant of onslaught connected Saturday. The maestro of a tanker said their vas was deed by a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) fired from a tiny vessel 78 nautical miles (equivalent to astir 144km) northeast of Saudi Arabia’s metropolis of Jubail, Eastern province, resulting successful harm to the aft larboard quarter.

In caller months, the US has managed to increase vigor transits done the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waterways done a shuttle strategy coordinated with Arab powers. But volumes person oscillated play owed to rising Iranian attacks.

Oil flows done Hormuz were astatine 11.6 cardinal barrels per time (bpd) implicit the 7 days to October 13. This was astir 68 percent of the 17.1 cardinal bpd pre-war baseline, according to Kpler figures.

On Friday, Brent crude besides touched $110 a tube for the archetypal clip since May successful airy of ongoing attacks. The concern has been exacerbated by the Iran-aligned Houthis’ attacks connected Saudi vigor infrastructure and their seizure of the Bab al-Mandeb strait. Expectations that the struggle betwixt the US and Iran was escalating person besides impacted prices.

The US subject has provided a starkly antithetic outlook connected the concern successful and astir the Strait of Hormuz, which accounted for astir a 5th of planetary lipid and earthy state flows earlier the warfare began.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) main Brad Cooper claimed successful a video connection precocious Friday that contempt the Iranian attacks, 400 ships and 100 cardinal barrels of lipid moved done the Strait of Hormuz implicit the past week.

“Let maine beryllium clear: The Strait of Hormuz is controlled by the United States and our determination partners, not Iran,” helium said, attributing the greatly accrued vessel attacks to “desperation” by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The US subject besides claimed that it continues to forestall Iranian exports and imports via its confederate ports done an “ironclad” naval blockade. It claims the blockade has outgo Iran $25bn successful lipid export income, and that the US has precocious seized $350m successful Iranian cryptocurrency financing.

The UKMTO study said full outbound transit implicit the past 7 days was 125 ships, with full inbound transits lasting astatine 129. Over the week, astir transits by the Western information agency were for adust bulk cargo, followed by tanker products and wide cargo.

Tehran has not provided nonstop figures connected however galore vessels person been attacked, oregon however galore are passing done the Hormuz, though it has said Washington is exaggerating numbers to task occurrence of its naval campaign.

It comes arsenic 2 vessels were reportedly deed by naval mines successful the Strait of Hormuz this week, with the US and Iran offering contradictory claims astir the situation.

The IRGC has progressively reported that vessels are hitting mines crossed the strategical waterway, which it says remains unsafe for vessels which bash not coordinate with Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority, an entity acceptable up during the warfare to negociate transition done the Hormuz.

The latest assertion came connected Saturday, erstwhile the IRGC said a supertanker carrying much than 2 cardinal barrels of crude lipid caught occurrence aft striking a excavation portion moving done an “unauthorised” route.

The Panama-flagged instrumentality shipping vas Ten Neptune transits the Gulf of Oman disconnected the seashore of Khor Fakkan successful the emirate of Sharjah, eastbound UAE, connected October 13, 2026 [AFP]

Iran’s state-run Press TV shared footage it says showed the tanker connected fire. But CENTCOM said it had cleared the strait of naval mines, and that vessels are being struck by projectiles.

The latest incidental “fact-checked” by the US subject was connected Thursday, erstwhile it said a civilian instrumentality ship, the M/V GFS Pride, was deed by an IRGC projectile, not by a excavation arsenic the Iranians had claimed. The vas sank arsenic it was being towed to shore.

The US has refrained from responding to immoderate of the caller vas attacks, but determination are concerns that Washington could escalate the warfare aft the November 3 midterm elections.

Diplomacy has not afloat halted, with messages continuing to beryllium relayed betwixt the 2 parties by determination mediators similar Pakistan, Qatar and others. But nary breakthrough successful talks is expected immoderate clip soon.

President Donald Trump has reportedly ordered the US subject to stay prepared for launching bigger attacks aft the elections. Those attacks could perchance see utilizing the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, nicknamed the “mother of each bombs”, according to US media.

But Tehran has signalled that it intends to proceed the attacks, with acting Defence Minister Majid Ibn Reza saying connected Saturday that it volition beryllium Iranian missiles, not US bombs, that find the aboriginal of the war.

“Your bombs volition detonate elsewhere; successful your planetary reputation, the US economy, and adjacent your electoral calculations,” helium was quoted arsenic saying by authorities media.