Tanker Attacks Escalate in Strait of Hormuz Amid Tensions

Iran claimed responsibility for striking the Togo-flagged tanker Trend in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, accusing the vessel of attempting an illegal passage through the strategic waterway. The attack, reported by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, marks the latest in a series of incidents disrupting shipping in the region amid ongoing tensions between the United States and Iran. UK Maritime Trade Operations has issued three attack warnings in the Strait since September 16, including two tankers struck by projectiles and another security incident near Khasab, Oman. One attack was claimed by Iran, while the others remain unattributed. The incidents have heightened risks in the southern Omani route, which UKMTO identified as the highest-risk corridor through Hormuz, accounting for 22 of 35 projectile strikes since July 6. The United States maintains a naval blockade in the area, with U.S. Central Command reporting that it has turned away over 100 commercial ships traveling to or from Iranian ports. This blockade has trapped more than 30 million barrels of crude in the Persian Gulf, while another 60 million barrels remain aboard sanctioned tankers outside the Gulf.