U.S. Says 97% of Ships Still Transiting Strait of Hormuz Safely; UKMTO Counts 135 Incidents Since Conflict Began
U.S. officials say that despite Iranian attacks, 97 percent of vessels have so far crossed the Strait of Hormuz safely, and that the United States has assisted Gulf partners in shipping more than 100 million barrels of crude oil out of the region in recent weeks — and more than 1.3 billion barrels over recent months, according to The Hindu BusinessLine. In its weekly review, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) counted 135 incidents in the strait since the conflict began.
On the Iranian side, Al Jazeera reported that Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy commander Ali Azmaei warned this week that any vessel switching off its navigation systems in the strait would be treated as "hostile." GSM reported on October 17 that the Revolutionary Guards said two tankers had struck naval mines and caught fire in the strait, with the second losing power; as of October 18 that claim remained unconfirmed by independent sources, and the names of the two tankers had not been released.
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical artery for global oil shipments. Attacks and blockade threats around the strait have continued for weeks, and Washington's and Tehran's public accounts of shipping conditions there differ markedly. (GSM, following The Hindu BusinessLine and Al Jazeera)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美军护卫舰通过霍尔木兹海峡时与一艘油轮同框资料照片。照片：美国国防部，Wikimedia Commons，公共领域。File photo: a U.S. Navy frigate passing a tanker after transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Photo by the U.S. Department of Defense, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
- 2026-10-16IRGC Says Supertanker Struck a Mine and Exploded in the Strait of Hormuz
- 2026-10-17Follow-Up: Iran's Guards Say Two Tankers Caught Fire After Hitting Mines in Strait of Hormuz, Second Vessel Left Immobilised
- 2026-10-18U.S. Says 97% of Ships Still Transiting Strait of Hormuz Safely; UKMTO Counts 135 Incidents Since Conflict BeganThis story
- 2026-10-18Iran's Araqchi Says Seven-Day Hormuz Proposal Still on the Table; Strait Could Reopen on Day Six if US Accepts Tehran's Conditions
- 2026-10-19IRGC Says Another Tanker Struck a Mine South of the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday Evening, a Third After Saturday's Two (Iranian Claim)
- 2026-10-20Iran Says Two More Tankers Hit Mines and Caught Fire in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday; Another Vessel Abandoned After Projectile Strike as Mediators Float a New Proposal to Revive U.S.-Iran Talks
- 2026-10-20Iran's Foreign Ministry Says Any New Attack Will Be Met With an Equal or Stronger Response, as Tehran Petitions the U.N. Over Threats to Its Energy Infrastructure
- 2026-10-21Pakistan's Army Chief Leaves Tehran Without a Breakthrough: Iran Sets Preconditions on the Blockade and Sanctions as U.S. Central Command Calls the Tanker Mine Claims False
- 2026-10-22Follow-Up: Iran Says Seven Oil Tankers Caught Fire or Were Damaged Overnight Near Strait of Hormuz; IRGC Warns Response Could Extend to U.S. Bases
- 2026-10-22Follow-Up: US, Israeli Militaries Said to Have Drawn Up Post-Midterm Strike Plans on Iran; Tehran Warns of a "Stronger" Response
- 2026-10-31Follow-Up: Iran's Supreme Leader Orders Military Ready to Respond to Any Attack as Envoys Meet Qatari Mediators in Doha
- 2026-11-01U.S.-Iran Talks in Doha Enter Third Day as Rubio Says Trump Has Not Decided on New Strikes
