Renewed strikes on tankers and energy infrastructure across the Strait of Hormuz have dimmed hopes of de-escalation in the Iran conflict, turning the strategic waterway into an active maritime warzone with burning vessels and mounting threats to global oil supplies as Tehran keeps the chokepoint effectively closed in retaliation for US-Israel strikes, Geo News reported citing Reuters.
Following Republican losses in the November 3 US midterm elections, US President Donald Trump struck a softer tone and American officials ruled out new military strikes on Iran, pushing crude oil prices down Tuesday to a two-month low. Yet attacks in the strait show no sign of slowing: the Washington Institute for Near East Policy recorded 37 vessel attacks in October—the highest monthly toll of the war—and at least 22 strikes on civilian tankers and container ships over the past two weeks.
Social media footage published Sunday and verified by Reuters showed flames engulfing the Singapore-flagged medium refined-product tanker Navig8 Messi off Oman, while European Union Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite imagery showed black smoke rising from the area. Citing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy, state broadcaster IRIB said the vessel was one of three tankers struck Sunday for using “unauthorized routes.” Operator Navig8 and parent firm Adnoc Logistics and Services did not respond to requests for comment.
Meanwhile, US forces maintain a naval blockade on Iranian ports; US Central Command said American military aircraft fired on and disabled a St. Kitts-flagged cargo ship Saturday as it tried to leave Iranian waters after a port call. Damaged vessels are also leaking oil into regional waters, with Monday video and satellite images showing slicks reaching the coasts of Oman and the United Arab Emirates, though Muscat offered no comment.
On land, Iranian forces and allied groups targeted energy sites including Saudi Aramco offices in Riyadh, where debris caused minor damage without casualties after Saudi authorities said air defenses intercepted a missile strike claimed November 8 by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. By November 10, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) had confirmed 133 commercial vessel attacks leaving 25 sailors dead and thousands of stranded crew at risk. Separately Tuesday, UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported an unidentified projectile hit a tanker 19 nautical miles northeast of Lima, Oman, with its crew safe and no pollution, while the IRGC navy said two tankers caught fire after hitting naval mines on unauthorized routes.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report