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Record Ship Attacks Near Hormuz as Oil Exports Slow
Confirmed
In Short: BBC Verify reports a record high in ship attacks near the Strait of Hormuz, coinciding with a slowdown in oil exports.
The number of ships reporting attacks in and around the Strait of Hormuz has hit a record high, according to BBC Verify's analysis of data from a UK maritime agency.
Experts suggest that Iran is widening its attacks on vessels, targeting ships near the coast of Gulf Arab states and in the Gulf of Oman, as the US military increases its presence in the region.
On Sunday, six vessels were struck in a single day, marking a one-day high, and four more attacks were reported this week.
The attacks have extended beyond the Strait of Hormuz, with a tanker struck by multiple projectiles north of Qatar on Thursday, more than 500km from the strait, resulting in multiple reported casualties.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has published footage of a ship sinking, showing crew members running across the deck and putting on lifejackets as black smoke rises.
The IRGC's navy has warned that strikes would not be limited to the Strait of Hormuz and announced a new deployment formation across the region.
Despite the attacks, the US military's Central Command maintains that commercial traffic continues to flow through the strait with coordinated protection from US forces and regional partners.
Industry data suggests that as the number of strikes has risen, the recovery in oil shipments through the strait seen last month has slowed.
On October 13, about 12.6 million barrels per day went through the strait, below the 15 million reported at the end of September.
The attacks have also affected Indian crew members, with 11 Indian nationals injured after a Panama-flagged commercial vessel was struck by a projectile off the coast of Oman.
The US has launched strikes on Iran, and US and Iranian negotiators are exploring a phased path out of war that would involve Tehran reopening the Strait of Hormuz and Washington lifting its economic blockade of Iran.
What this adds
The attacks near the Strait of Hormuz have reached their highest levels since the US-Iran war began in February, according to UK Maritime Trade Operations.
The slowdown in oil exports is a direct result of the increased attacks on vessels, affecting global oil supply and prices.
Background
Commercial shipping around the Strait of Hormuz is experiencing its most intense period of attacks since the US-Iran war began on February 28, with four tankers struck and another directly threatened, according to UK Maritime Trade Operations.
What's confirmed
- The number of ships reporting attacks in and around the Strait of Hormuz has hit a record high, according to BBC Verify's analysis of data from a UK maritime agency.
- Experts suggest that Iran is widening its attacks on vessels, targeting ships near the coast of Gulf Arab states and in the Gulf of Oman, as the US military increases its presence in the region.
- On Sunday, six vessels were struck in a single day, marking a one-day high, and four more attacks were reported this week.
- The attacks have extended beyond the Strait of Hormuz, with a tanker struck by multiple projectiles north of Qatar on Thursday, more than 500km from the strait, resulting in multiple reported casualties.
- Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has published footage of a ship sinking, showing crew members running across the deck and putting on lifejackets as black smoke rises.
- The IRGC's navy has warned that strikes would not be limited to the Strait of Hormuz and announced a new deployment formation across the region.
- Despite the attacks, the US military's Central Command maintains that commercial traffic continues to flow through the strait with coordinated protection from US forces and regional partners.
- Industry data suggests that as the number of strikes has risen, the recovery in oil shipments through the strait seen last month has slowed.
- On October 13, about 12.6 million barrels per day went through the strait, below the 15 million reported at the end of September.
- The attacks have also affected Indian crew members, with 11 Indian nationals injured after a Panama-flagged commercial vessel was struck by a projectile off the coast of Oman.
- The US has launched strikes on Iran, and US and Iranian negotiators are exploring a phased path out of war that would involve Tehran reopening the Strait of Hormuz and Washington lifting its economic blockade of Iran.
What's still developing
- It said the vessel was carrying "2,500 containers of contraband" and had taken an "unauthorised route".
- Experts say Tehran has been attacking ships in an effort to assert greater control over the waterway as the US military has increased the number of tankers it is shepherding through the south of the strait to evade Iranian strikes.
- Available in your choice of English or Arabic Gulf crude exports fell to a seven-day average of 9.9 mn bbl / d as of 7 October as tanker attacks spread beyond Hormuz, the Financial Times (FT) reported.
- An oil tanker caught fire in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday after entering what Iran's navy described as a prohibited zone with its tracking systems disabled, Iranian state-run media reported, the second such incident in the area in 24 hours.
- The closure of the Strait of Hormuz since late January has constrained oil product supply, particularly in Europe and Asia.
- A still image from handout video released on September 15, 2026, said to show a damaged Panamanian-flagged oil tanker "El Gaia" following an incident in Strait of Hormuz. Iran's Revolutionary Guard said the tanker was hit by sea mines as it passed through a prohibited zone south of the Strait of Hormuz, a claim the U.S. military disputed, saying the vessel was struck by an Iranian missile "last month and rendered inoperable."
- 'Attacks must end': MEA says 11 Indian crew members injured in Hormuz vessel strike | India News - The Times of India Tue, Oct 06, 2026 | Updated 04.17PM IST Weather Sign In 'Attacks must end': MEA says 11 Indian crew members injured in Hormuz vessel strike Edited by: Rohitashwa Ranjan / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Oct 06, 2026, 16:15 IST Save Comments Share Aa + Text Size Small Medium Large Print NEW DELHI: The ministry of external affairs on Tuesday condemned the attack on a Panama-flagged commercial vessel carrying Indian crew members off the Oman coast, calling for an end to attacks on commercial shipping.
- The U.S. launched strikes on Iran early Tuesday, hours after President Donald Trump vowed to reinstate an American blockade of Iranian ports and charge ships for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
- HMS Dragon is already heading to the Middle East after additional preparations and training, the ministry said, adding that the destroyer’s advanced Sea Viper air defence system would be available for potential future operations in the Strait of Hormuz.
- Retired Navy captain Brent Sadler analyzes Central Command strikes on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz after Iranian forces fired eight ballistic missiles at U.S.
- The Federal Reserve can’t open the Strait of Hormuz and it can’t get rid of tariffs.
- Video posted on social media showed containers floating off the coast of Oman's Musandam peninsula A Singapore-flagged container ship has sunk after being struck by an unknown projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to Singaporean authorities.