Iran tanker attacks challenge U.S. Navy protected route through Hormuz
An Islamic Revolutionary Guard speedboat near a general cargo ship in the Persian Gulf during a naval parade of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard on April 29, 2024.
Morteza Nikoubazl | Nurfoto | Getty Images
A US-led naval coalition warned commercial ships on Tuesday that the threat level to ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz had risen to “serious” following multiple attacks by Iran on tankers.
The Joint Maritime Information Center warned sailors that “deliberate hostile action” by Iran was “likely under current circumstances.” Headquartered in Bahrain, the center provides coordination between allied navies and commercial ships in the Middle East.
Iran accepted the safe passage of commercial ships through Hormuz in accordance with the interim agreement signed with the USA on June 17. However, Tehran later launched a series of attacks on ships using the route through the strait, which is protected by the US Navy.
“Obviously there is a struggle for control, because the only leverage Iran has is control of Hormuz,” said Michelle Wiese Bockmann, London-based senior naval intelligence analyst at Windward.
Qatar blamed Iran for Tuesday’s attack on liquefied natural gas, or LNG, tankers Al-Rekayyat near Hormuz. Doha called on Iran to stop endangering global energy supplies.
The UK Merchant Marine Operations Center has received three separate reports this week of tankers being attacked at or near Hormuz. UKTMO is a maritime safety consultancy service.
Hormuz is divided into separate corridors controlled by the United States and Iran. Bockmann said Gulf countries use the southern route, which covers the coast of Oman and is protected by the US Navy.
But the Iranian military has warned that it will target ships that do not use the northern route approved by Tehran. The ships are avoiding the traditional route through the middle of Hormuz, where Iran has mined water.
“This is part of Iran’s sporadic targeted campaign to destabilize the southern corridor and send a message to Gulf State producers who do not send their oil through this northern corridor,” Bockmann said.
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright claimed last month that the US Navy corridor ended Iran’s ability to close the strait. Iran later attacked a cargo ship using the route. The US retaliated by launching a new airstrike on Iran.
Ship traffic through Hormuz has increased since the United States and Iran signed an interim peace agreement, but remains well below pre-war levels.
Commercial intelligence firm Kpler confirmed that more than 100 ships passed through Hormuz over the weekend. According to Windward data, oil exports through the Bosphorus were around 4.3 million barrels per day on average in June.
By comparison, before the war more than 100 ships passed through Hormuz each day, and crude exports totaled more than 15 million barrels per day.
“The throat is far from fully functional,” Bockmann said. he said.
