Four oil tankers were hit by explosions in the Strait of Hormuz this week, sending Brent crude above $95 a barrel and deepening the crisis in the world’s most important oil waterway. The Hormuz tanker attacks came as Yemen’s Houthis claimed strikes on Saudi energy sites and President Donald Trump warned he could order fresh military strikes on Iran.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Navy said two supertankers were disabled by explosions on Wednesday night after they ignored warnings against using what Tehran calls a prohibited path through the strait, and were left burning with a combined cargo of more than four million barrels of oil. Iran’s army later said two more tankers had struck mines on Thursday afternoon while sailing through the eastern strait. The Iranian account could not be independently verified, and Tehran named no ships.
One Ship Confirmed Hit, Crew Evacuated
One incident was confirmed by independent maritime authorities. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said a vessel was hit by an unidentified projectile about 14 nautical miles northwest of the United Arab Emirates emirate of Ras Al-Khaimah on Wednesday while exiting the strait, causing a fire in its engine room. That vessel, the Dominica Prosperity, run by South Korea’s Sinokor, was hit on November 11 and all 22 crew were evacuated, according to Reuters.
Brent crude settled at $95.82 a barrel on Thursday, up $3.06 or 3.3 per cent, while US West Texas Intermediate crude closed at $88.74, up $2.21. The International Maritime Organization has verified more than 130 attacks on vessels in the strait since the US-Israeli war with Iran began on February 28, and the pace has quickened: at least 10 ships were hit in the first 10 days of November, after 37 attacks in October, the highest monthly tally since the conflict began, according to data from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Houthis Claim Saudi Energy Strikes
The tanker explosions were part of a wider escalation across the region. Yemen’s Houthis claimed strikes on Saudi energy sites, including a pumping station on the East-West pipeline, the Red Sea port of Yanbu and an Aramco building in Riyadh, though no damage was confirmed. Saudi-led forces said they had intercepted and destroyed two drones launched by the group, one near Riyadh and one in the Eastern Province.
Trump, who on Wednesday had said the war could be over, hardened his tone on Thursday, threatening to renew military strikes on Iran and writing on Truth Social that the United States does not need a deal with Iran. Iran, in turn, has warned it could strike American military bases in Europe and beyond if the United States resumes attacks. Oil has kept moving despite the attacks: flows averaged 10.5 million barrels a day since the start of October, according to Kpler data cited by Reuters. The International Energy Agency publishes its monthly oil-market report on Friday. Read our earlier report on Iran’s rejection of a uranium transfer here: https://reportrig.com/iran-rejects-uranium-transfer-in-fresh-blow-to-us-talks/
