Arabic version: ارتفاع الهجمات على السفن في هرمز مع تعثر محادثات حرب إيران
According to Al Jazeera, strikes around the Strait of Hormuz have intensified while mediated efforts to end the US-Israel war on Iran remain deadlocked. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Navy said an unnamed crude oil supertanker struck a naval mine and caught fire after using an unauthorised route with its navigation systems switched off.
The Guard warned that other oil tankers that ignore the waterway’s security rules could face a similar outcome. The strait carries one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas in peacetime. Iranian army chief of staff and joint coordinator Habibollah Sayyari said Iran’s forces remained prepared for defensive and offensive operations, more than seven months after the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency reported several incidents of military action or warnings involving vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman. It said ships near Ras al-Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates were instructed by radio to leave their anchorages. It later reported that an unidentified projectile hit an outbound tanker in the strait. The UAE said its coastguard rescued 22 crew members after a fire aboard an unnamed tanker near its shores.
US Central Command released footage showing a fighter jet bombing the stern of a Panama-flagged cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman, disabling its propulsion as part of a naval blockade of Iran’s southern ports. CENTCOM says that since the blockade was reimposed in mid-July, US forces have disabled four commercial vessels, turned around 135 ships and destroyed 10 tankers linked with Iran.
At least a dozen ships were attacked during the week ending October 5, the highest weekly total since the war began. Kpler data cited by CNBC showed average crude flows through the strait fell to 8.5 million barrels per day in the week ending October 7, about 40 percent below normal. Messages continue through mediators, but no breakthrough is expected before the US midterm vote on November 3 and Israel’s election on October 27.
