Iran reports third supertanker struck in Strait of Hormuz in two days
The IRGC says the tanker had switched off its navigation system and ignored warnings as it tried to leave the strait
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Map: The Gulf and Hormuz, marking Strait of Hormuz
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Navy says a third supertanker has been hit in the Strait of Hormuz in the past two days. It says the vessel had disabled its navigation system and ignored warnings as it tried to exit the strait, calling the move a bid to disrupt order and security there, according to Fars News.
The strikes follow an attack on an LPG tanker in the strait, which Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it fired on for attempting an illegal passage, with a significant fire reported on board. A day later, the Revolutionary Guard warned that ship violations would be punished even outside the strait itself.
The pace marks a clear jump from the roughly weekly incidents logged through September. Tanker transit through the strait has been reported running near two vessels a day, against a pre-conflict average of roughly 125, underlining how contested the corridor remains.
Trump has pledged no US strike on Iran before November 3, even as the Pentagon continues drafting a three-day strike plan and the blockade on Iran stays in force. On Monday, Iran's foreign minister Araghchi said he had offered Saudi mediation following Houthi strikes, though Riyadh confirmed only that the call took place and made no mention of any mediation offer. Explosions and air defense activity were also reported Friday in a Tehran district east of the city center, the first such activity inside the Iranian capital after weeks of tanker strikes confined to the strait. With the blockade-for-reopening standoff still unresolved, crude's existing risk premium has grounds to stay elevated as physical disruption accumulates faster than diplomacy is producing results.