UKMTO reports new security incident in Strait of Hormuz near Khasab
The report places the incident 16 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, Oman, in a waterway already under a severe threat warning.
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Map: The Gulf and Hormuz, marking Strait of Hormuz
UpdateThursday, September 17, 2026 at 3:55 PM ET
The 11 million barrel figure is below, not above, the prior 10 million running average, and both that figure and Blinken's comments date to earlier in the week, not Thursday.
The 11 million barrel figure Energy Secretary Wright cited for the strait's seven day average flow was given on Wednesday, not Thursday, and it falls below the previously cited running average of 10 million barrels a day, not above it. Blinken's remarks on Gulf states seeking their own talks with Tehran were also made on Tuesday.
United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations has received a report of a security incident in the Strait of Hormuz, 16 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, Oman. It comes after an explosion hit the strait earlier Thursday, when UKMTO warned that threat levels in the waterway remain severe.
The strait has been the site of repeated incidents in recent months. Talks between the United States and Iran are on hold, and Tehran has claimed what it calls intelligent control of the waterway. Iran's security chief has said talks will not resume until its demands are met, while US Vice President Vance has described the conflict as entering a managed phase.
Elsewhere, diplomacy continues on other tracks. Saudi Arabia has asked Oman to mediate a two week truce with Ansar Allah, with a possible agreement reported by the end of this week. US officials held talks with Houthi representatives in Oman over the weekend, and that channel remains open even as military buildup continues. The Houthis have told US officials they will avoid attacking Israeli vessels. Gulf states are looking to open their own talks with Tehran, and Blinken has said the Trump administration has put itself in a very difficult position on Iran.
Oil flow through the strait has not shown signs of disruption. US Energy Secretary Wright has put the seven day average flow at 11 million barrels a day, above a prior running average of 10 million, though still below the 18 million barrels that moved through in a single day previously. A Saudi pipeline that bypasses the strait remains offline. Another incident in a corridor already designated as severe threat is noise within an established crisis rather than a shift in it, and with diplomacy advancing on several fronts and oil flow rising, markets have already priced in substantial disruption, so isolated incidents are unlikely to move pricing materially unless they escalate toward a blockade.