The US military struck a commercial ship in the Gulf of Oman that it said tried to break its naval blockade of Iranian ports. Iran, meanwhile, has stepped up attacks on tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, and Kpler data shows exports falling this week.
The US military struck a commercial ship in the Gulf of Oman on Saturday after saying it tried to pierce America's naval blockade of Iranian ports. It was the first US attack near Iran in more than a month.
US Central Command said an American fighter jet hit the Panama-flagged M/V Ocean Molica with a precision munition and disabled its propulsion. Centcom said the crew ignored warnings and was unharmed.
Strike follows Trump's pledge on Iran
The attack came two days after President Donald Trump said American forces would not attack Iran before the US midterm elections. Those elections fall on November 3.
The Pentagon last acknowledged strikes on Iranian targets in early September, when it struck five crude oil tankers it said belonged to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. It described that action as retaliation for the regime's forces targeting a US Navy ship.
The war has created a global energy crisis and triggered an inflation shock, according to the Financial Times.
Iran widens attacks on tankers
Tensions are also rising elsewhere in the region. A missile strike at Riyadh's airport killed 12 people and injured 300, days after Iran-backed Houthis attacked the same hub.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard said on Saturday that a crude oil supertanker struck a naval mine while trying to exit the strait. On Sunday it said a second supertanker hit a mine in the southern part of the strait, causing an explosion and a fire in its engine room.
The force also warned that vessels switching off their navigation and identification systems will be classified as hostile.
Kpler said on Friday that flows had recovered to prewar levels in September, but "intensified attacks on tankers" had pushed crude oil exports sharply lower this week.
Source: Financial Times
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