Hormuz Attacks Escalate: Tankers Hit Over Weekend, IRGC Claims Supertanker Struck Mine
Attacks in the Strait of Hormuz escalated further over the weekend. According to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), on Saturday (Oct. 10) an outbound tanker inside the strait was struck on its port side by an unknown projectile and caught fire, with the crew reported safe. On Sunday (Oct. 11), another attack occurred in the same waters, damaging a vessel whose crew was also reported safe. The identities of the tankers involved have not been disclosed.
On Sunday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy issued a statement claiming that a crude oil supertanker had struck one of its naval mines on an "unauthorized route" in the southern part of the strait, triggering an explosion and an engine-room fire. The statement said the tanker had switched off all its navigation systems and was attempting to leave the strait via an "unauthorized route," and described it as the third tanker to hit a mine and catch fire since Saturday. The IRGC also released video purporting to show the burning tanker and warned that any vessel in the strait that switches off its navigation and identification systems would be treated as a hostile target and dealt with decisively.
It should be noted that the IRGC's claims have not been independently verified, the tankers' identities have not been disclosed, and it is unclear whether the various reports refer to the same vessel or to separate incidents.
The UAE National Guard said it rescued 22 crew members from a burning tanker on Saturday; CNN reported that those rescued were Indian nationals. UAE authorities did not say whether this was the same vessel UKMTO reported as hit by a projectile.
Al Jazeera, citing UKMTO, also reported that several vessels at anchorages near Ras al-Khaimah, west of the strait, received VHF radio broadcasts directing them to move from their anchorages. The source of the broadcasts is unknown, and UKMTO said authorities continue to investigate.
The U.S. military also acted over the weekend. According to the New York Post, citing U.S. Central Command, U.S. forces intercepted a commercial cargo ship that was attempting to run the U.S. naval blockade against Iran.
The weekend attacks come amid a sustained escalation of strikes on tankers. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) reported that at least 11 tankers were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz during the week that ended Oct. 4, the most strikes on commercial ships there since the war began on Feb. 28. Before the war, about one-fifth of the world's oil and gas passed through the strait; crude oil prices remain above $100 a barrel.
Since joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iranian territory in late February sparked the war, Iran has tightened control over shipping traffic in and around the strait. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he would not order strikes on Iran before the midterm elections.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 油轮布里奇顿号在海湾地区航行（资料图）；美国海军照片，公有领域（Wikimedia Commons）
