At least two vessels were struck in waters near Iran and Oman over the weekend, intensifying disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz as Tehran reiterated that the critical waterway will remain closed until its demands are satisfied.
According to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a British maritime security alert service, a crude oil tanker was hit by an unknown projectile four nautical miles east of Oman on Saturday. A second tanker sustained damage to its engine room after a similar strike in the strait on Sunday.
These incidents mark a continued escalation in attacks on shipping in the region, where approximately one-fifth of global oil supplies passed before the start of the U.S. and Israel-led war on February 28. Attacks have become increasingly regular over recent weeks.
On Sunday, Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stressed that the strait would not reopen until Iran’s seven conditions based on the Islamabad Memorandum are met.
Is anyone actually monitoring these unknown projectiles? The ambiguity makes diplomacy nearly impossible right now.
The Strait has been a flashpoint for decades. Closing it is an economic weapon, plain and simple.
Seven conditions? More like an excuse to keep the chaos going. When does this end?
One-fifth of global oil passing through there? This is a nightmare scenario for gas prices everywhere.