Attacks in Strait of Hormuz reach highest level since start of war

Since the onset of conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran, the Strait of Hormuz has seen a surge in attacks, marking a high since the war began. In the past week alone, at least ten vessels were targeted - a dramatic increase from the average monthly incidents. Four vessels were hit on Tuesday and six on Sunday, the latter being the most attacks in a single day since the start of hostilities.

Two seafarers have gone missing, and a container ship reportedly sank due to recent assaults. This escalation in attacks on merchant vessels has disrupted shipping through the strait, a vital passage typically bustling with oil and commodity exports from Gulf nations. Since October, 23 attacks have been recorded, nearly double the usual monthly count.

Iran initiated targeting of merchant vessels in Hormuz in March as a response to US-Israeli strikes on its soil. Tehran has continued to strike vessels passing through unapproved routes. This uptick in attacks, disrupting shipping, may be Tehran's strategy to showcase its ability to disrupt the recovery of energy exports, which almost returned to pre-war levels at the beginning of October but have since declined.

The US claimed to have struck a cargo vessel as part of its embargo on Iranian ports, though this was not listed by the IMO. Analyst Barun Gupta from Vanguard suggested that the surge in attacks could be due to the rising energy exports nearing pre-war levels but have since dropped back. Gupta also posited that Trump's promise not to launch further attacks before the US midterm elections might have encouraged Tehran to increase pressure without the immediate risk of US military escalation.

So far, 24 seafarers have died due to incidents in the area near the Strait of Hormuz since the conflict began.