Iran and US trade biggest reported shipping attacks of six-month war
Iran said it attacked 10 vessels near the Strait of Hormuz after the US said it destroyed five Iranian oil tankers, pushing Brent crude above US$100 a barrel.
Iran and the United States have exchanged their largest reported wave of attacks on shipping since the six-month-old war began, raising fresh risks for energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran said it attacked 10 vessels near the strait after the US said its forces destroyed five Iranian oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and near Kharg Island. The claims have not been independently verified in the available material.
At least one seafarer was reported killed aboard the oil products tanker Hercules Star, while another crew member was reported missing. UKMTO separately described a vessel in the area as listing and possibly taking on water after being hit by a projectile. It was unclear whether the reports concerned the same ship.
The attacks followed renewed strikes since 30 August, ending a month of relative calm during which military, shipping and energy assets had been targeted. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also said it fired ballistic missiles at a base used by US forces near Al Azraq in eastern Jordan.
Jordan said its air defences intercepted 18 of 20 missiles, while a US official described the attack as ineffective and said all American troops were accounted for. An explosion was also reported near Iran’s port of Jask, although its cause was unknown.
Brent crude rose above US$100 a barrel as concerns over energy supplies intensified. The Strait of Hormuz previously carried about one-fifth of global oil supplies, but reported flows have fallen sharply. Fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen is adding further pressure to regional energy routes, according to France 24 International.
