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Attacks on Oil Tankers Complicate Traffic Through the Strait of Hormuz

From El Comercio · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Analysis Named sources Ongoing story
  • Iran and the United States exchanged attacks around the Strait of Hormuz as Washington sought to restore oil traffic and Tehran maintained a wartime blockade.
  • Oil exports through the strait reached 4.2 million barrels per day last week, well below the 20 million barrels per day reported before the conflict.
  • Recent attacks on an Iranian island, U.S. bases and an oil tanker have increased the risks for vessels attempting to cross without Iranian authorization.

The Strait of Hormuz has become one of Iran’s main tools of pressure, as attacks and restrictions continue to disrupt a route that carried 20% of the world’s crude before the war. Oil exports have fallen almost completely, and Tehran now demands authorization from ships seeking to pass.

Washington is trying to reopen maritime traffic through a route south of the strait, near Oman. In recent weeks, the United States has managed to recover part of the flow, using several methods to get around Iran’s restrictions.

Hamidreza Azizi, an analyst at Crisis Group, said on X that the effort involves small tankers, nighttime navigation and transfers of cargo between ships. Some vessels have reportedly switched off their transponders. TankerTrackers, a U.S. specialist website, estimated that 4.2 million barrels per day moved through Hormuz last week, still far below the 20 million barrels per day recorded before the conflict.

The United States resorts to small tankers, nighttime navigation and cargo transfers between ships.

— Hamidreza AziziAzizi described methods he said Washington was using to bypass Iranian restrictions on shipping through Hormuz.

Gregory Brew of Eurasia Group said the United States was also helping move crude through the strait, describing the activity as a new phase in the confrontation between Washington and Tehran. Azizi said Washington was seeking to establish a limited maritime corridor, while Brew warned that the pattern could become routine: U.S. tankers pass through Hormuz, Iran tries to stop the trade, Washington occasionally strikes Iranian targets and Tehran responds.

The dispute has already brought further military action. U.S. forces attacked Larak Island early Monday after Washington said Iran was preparing to launch rockets carrying sea mines at the strait. Two people died. Iran then attacked U.S. bases in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, with no apparent damage reported. On Monday, a tanker trying to leave Hormuz was hit by three projectiles, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency.

This situation reflects a new dynamic in the confrontation between Washington and Tehran.

— Gregory BrewBrew characterized U.S. efforts to move crude through the strait.
About this summary

Originally published by El Comercio in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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