Oil tanker reportedly attacked in Strait of Hormuz region

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it is intensifying attacks on an Arab‑operated, U.S.-assisted “shuttle” system that moves crude oil out of the Strait of Hormuz, targeting five or six vessels nightly for weeks, according to IRGC security chief Mohsen Rezaei. The campaign has focused on smaller transfer ships and larger tankers that load oil at Arab ports, conduct ship‑to‑ship transfers in the Gulf of Oman, and then exit the strait via a southern corridor near Oman’s coast. Over the weekend, multiple vessels were struck, including two outbound tankers and one anchored near Sohar, while the IRGC also claimed three tankers were heavily damaged by naval mines it says it has laid across the waterway. Rezaei framed the shuttle operation as “smuggling” and warned of further retaliation against U.S.‑linked digital infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates and other regional targets if Iran’s energy and civilian facilities are attacked again.

The shuttle system emerged as a response to the U.S. naval blockade of Iran’s southern ports and tightening sanctions after the February 28 U.S.–Israel strikes on Iran, allowing roughly a fifth of global oil and gas to continue flowing despite the war. By coordinating with U.S. Central Command and using U.S. naval protection, the system enables Arab national oil companies to bypass the closed strait, with vessels often turning off transponders and sailing at night to avoid Iranian fire. Analysts such as Hamidreza Azizi of the Crisis Group note that Tehran believes its pressure on the strait has global leverage, yet question whether Iran can sustain the economic costs of prolonged confrontation. Meanwhile, maritime intelligence expert Michelle Wiese Bockmann highlighted that the operation relies on the right of transit passage under international law, with Oman permitting vessels to pass while receiving U.S. military assistance.

The heightened IRGC attacks have expanded beyond the strait itself, threatening the broader shuttle network and signaling Tehran’s intent to retain “lasting authority” over Hormuz. Iran has also threatened to target U.S.‑linked cables, data centres and artificial‑intelligence facilities in the UAE, and earlier this year warned tankers in Kuwait and Bahrain of similar strikes, accusing those states of hosting U.S. forces. While the United States has opened an alternate route for Gulf‑state exports amid an energy crisis, the ongoing assaults and mine threats keep the waterway precarious, potentially disrupting global oil flows and prompting further diplomatic maneuvering over the seven conditions Tehran demands for a full reopening of the strait.

⚡ Effects Interpreter