Iran Strikes at Least 15 Container Ships in Ten Days
Iran has attacked at least 15 container ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz in the past ten days, using drones and mines; twelve vessels were struck in the seven days to Friday, according to UKMTO. On Sunday a ship was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade fired from a small boat north-east of Jubail. Brent ended the London session near $110 after falling earlier on prospective Russian supply.
Most attacks have been close to the Omani coast, a route Tehran regards as unauthorised, and the escalation appears to have reasserted Iran’s disputed control over the waterway. A vessel sailing from Karachi to Fujairah sank last Wednesday after hitting a mine; all 21 crew were evacuated. Earlier on Monday Brent had slipped to $107.80 as traders weighed extra Russian barrels after Friday’s US sanctions relief, while Ukraine’s drone strikes set fire to an oil terminal in St Petersburg. The market is now caught between two supply shocks pulling in opposite directions.