Amman: Iran announced on Wednesday that it had attacked 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz following the United States' sinking of five Iranian oil tankers. This marks the largest wave of retaliatory attacks on shipping by both nations since the war began six months ago. The escalation has prompted a surge in oil prices, with Brent crude futures surpassing $100 a barrel for the first time since July. A seafarer aboard one of the tankers was reported dead, and another is missing.
According to France24.com, Iran also launched ballistic missiles at a base used by US forces in Jordan. The exchange of attacks has shattered a period of relative calm that had persisted since the end of August, with both the US and Iran targeting military, shipping, and energy assets. The Revolutionary Guards have vowed to significantly escalate their response to further attacks, warning that they would target 20 locations if provoked again. They also plan to release maps of a new, expanded off-limits maritime zone extending to Chabahar near Pakistan.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed for all parties to exercise restraint to prevent further escalation in the already tense region surrounding the Strait of Hormuz. The situation has been further complicated by increased hostilities between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis in Yemen, which poses additional threats to global energy supplies from the Middle East.
The US Central Command released footage showing the destruction of five Iranian oil tankers, explaining that the attacks were in response to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeting a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles over the preceding days. The US confirmed there were no American casualties. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated the US would continue targeting Iranian tankers in retaliation for attacks on its warships, claiming 10 Iranian tankers had been hit in the past week.
In response, Iran fired on two US ships and eight tankers. The tragic death of a seafarer occurred aboard the oil products tanker Hercules Star, and another crew member remains missing, as reported by the vessel's charterer, Peninsula. Maritime security sources suggested the vessel may have been hit by a drone. Meanwhile, the British maritime security agency UKMTO reported a ship in the area listing and possibly taking on water after being struck.
Further reports indicated that a tanker carrying 2 million barrels of fuel oil, the New Andros, caught fire after a drone strike in Iraqi waters, though no casualties were reported among the 22 crew members. Additionally, Iran has threatened oil tankers in Kuwaiti and Bahraini ports, and a liquefied natural gas tanker was reportedly damaged in the Emirati port of Khor Fakkan.
Iran's IRGC also targeted a US base near Al Azraq in eastern Jordan with ballistic missiles. Jordan claimed its air defenses intercepted most of the missiles, with the remainder landing in uninhabited areas. US officials described Iran's strikes as ineffective, confirming all American personnel were safe.
The recent hostilities have overshadowed US efforts to guide tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, which previously carried a fifth of the world's oil supplies. Flows through the strait have reportedly decreased significantly due to the renewed conflict.
The escalating conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen has further destabilized the energy market. Recent Houthi attacks on Saudi cities resulted in large fires at oil installations and injuries to dozens of people. Saudi authorities have issued alerts in affected areas but later declared that the immediate threat had been mitigated.
The ongoing multi-pronged offensive by the Saudi-backed government in Yemen against Houthi-controlled areas continues to pose significant risks to shipping in the Red Sea.