Attacks on commercial vessels navigating the Strait of Hormuz reached record highs in October, maritime monitoring groups said, as the United States and Iran issued competing declarations of control over the vital global energy chokepoint.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported late Friday that at least 12 vessels were targeted in the week ending Oct. 16 alone, while cautioning that the actual number is likely higher because most targeted crews refuse to submit incident reports. Of those 12 confirmed vessels, one sank, two were disabled, three sustained damage or had undetermined outcomes, and six reached their destinations or docked at port, UKMTO stated.
On Saturday, the maritime agency documented a new strike after the captain of a commercial tanker reported taking fire from a rocket-propelled grenade launched from a small boat roughly 78 nautical miles northeast of the Saudi city of Jubail. The vessel suffered damage to its aft port quarter, Al Jazeera English reported.
Competing Claims Over Maritime Control
The escalation has produced sharply divergent narratives from Tehran and Washington regarding safety and jurisdiction in the waterway, which handled roughly one-fifth of global petroleum and natural gas supplies before the war began on Feb. 28.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Saturday that a supertanker transporting more than two million barrels of crude caught fire after detonating a sea mine along an unauthorized navigation track. Iranian state media distributed video footage depicting the vessel on fire, with the IRGC declaring the strait closed to operators who do not register with its newly formed maritime authority.
The U.S. military swiftly disputed Iranian accounts of mine hazards. Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, said in a video address late Friday that American forces and regional allies maintain control of the strait. Cooper said military personnel had cleared mines from the channel and argued that recent strikes involved projectiles rather than underwater explosives.
CENTCOM said commercial vessels continue moving through the corridor despite hostile actions, noting that 400 ships and 100 million barrels of crude cleared the strait during the preceding week. The command previously noted that a container ship, the M/V GFS Pride, sank Thursday while being towed after sustaining projectile damage from Iranian forces.
Economic Strain and Shifting Tactics
Financial markets have responded with sharp volatility. Brent crude touched $110 per barrel on Friday, according to market data, having spent much of the past three months hovering above the $100 mark. Compounding the pressure, strikes by Iran-aligned Houthi forces on Saudi energy infrastructure and shipping routes through the Bab al-Mandeb strait have further crimped flows.
Shipments through Hormuz averaged 11.6 million barrels daily during the seven days ending Oct. 13, down from a pre-war benchmark of 17.1 million, data firm Kpler reported. Volumes fell to just 2.9 million barrels on Oct. 11 following an intense burst of strikes, according to figures cited by The Independent.
An analysis conducted by the Financial Times revealed 24 ships were struck in the two-week span through Oct. 11, marking the heaviest period of maritime strikes since the conflict erupted nearly eight months ago.
Analysts noted that Iranian operations have broadened in scope and complexity. Beyond cruise missiles and aerial drones, forces have turned to small-craft reconnaissance and naval mines to bypass degraded shore radars, Chatham House specialist Dr. Neil Quilliam told The Independent. In response to mounting perils, commercial tanker operators are offering captains hazard bonuses reaching $100,000 monthly, while at least 25 crew members have lost their lives near the waterway since fighting began, The New York Times reported.
Regional intermediaries including Qatar and Pakistan continue shuttling diplomatic proposals between the warring nations, though participants acknowledge no imminent breakthrough. Washington has refrained from direct military retaliation for the recent tanker hits, while U.S. officials weigh potential expanded actions following the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
