US-Contracted Vessel Struck In Iranian Attack This Week
The strike adds to a run of attacks on commercial shipping that US officials have said they expect to end after the midterm elections.
Published
A vessel under contract to the United States was hit in an attack by Iran this week.
The strike is the latest in a series of attacks on commercial shipping that has continued despite repeated statements from Washington that the conflict is winding down. Vice President Vance has said the United States is not conducting aggressive operations in Iran and expects the war to end after the midterm elections, even as incidents at sea and in the air continue.
Diplomatic efforts have made little visible progress. US officials have held talks with Houthi representatives in Oman, but Iran's security chief has said broader talks will not happen until its demands are met. Separately, Antony Blinken has said Gulf states are looking to open their own channels with Tehran.
The economic toll of the conflict is becoming clearer. The Congressional Budget Office has put the war's cost to the United States at $38 billion over five months and has raised its inflation forecast for early 2027. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said the war has added €90 billion to the EU's fossil fuel import bill.
Attacks like this one show that diplomatic channels have yet to stop the pattern of strikes on shipping, despite the administration's stated aim of resolving rather than managing the threat. For markets that had begun pricing in a calmer period, the continued risk to vessels raises the prospect of higher shipping costs and renewed pressure on energy prices.