Chinese-flagged container shipping vessel Hui Fa transits the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Khor Fakkan in the emirate of Sharjah in the east of the UAE.
Iran deploys new tactics against ships in Hormuz to influence US elections: Reuters
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Iran is deploying new tactics to target ships in the Strait of Hormuz in a bid to sustain elevated oil prices and sway the outcome of the US midterm elections, according to two senior Iranian officials cited by Reuters.
The officials said Tehran began employing different offensive tactics about 10 days earlier against vessels it regards as violating its restrictions on the waterway.
This shift has produced a noticeable rise in the number and intensity of attacks.
The strategy, approved at the highest levels of Iran’s leadership and coordinated across its ruling system, involves changes in both the type and pace of operations.
“The aim is to frustrate efforts by the United States and its allies to bring down global oil prices,” one of the officials stated.
A second official added, per Reuters, that Tehran would not allow US President Donald Trump to reduce oil prices ahead of the November elections.
One official likened the contest to a “game of chess.”
A US military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed a key tactical adaptation: after American forces degraded much of Iran’s radar network, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps began using unarmed spotters in small boats, often dhows, to identify potential targets, including US naval vessels.
US forces confronted one such vessel, ordered its occupants to abandon ship, and then destroyed it.
Maritime security analysis of reports to the UK Maritime Trade Operations and other firms indicates that attacks have already extended beyond the strait itself, reaching waters off Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Iranian officials also disclosed plans to broaden the geographic scope of operations into the Gulf of Oman and waters further afield.
Independent data show attacks on commercial shipping have surged to their highest levels since the conflict began in late February 2026, following US and ‘Israeli’ strikes on Iran.
Recent incidents include multiple tanker and container-ship strikes, with at least five reported in a 48-hour period and six on a single day.
Oil flows through the strait, which had recovered toward pre-war volumes in September under US naval escort, have dropped sharply again.
Brent crude, the global benchmark, has traded near or above $104–$106 a barrel in recent sessions, well above levels seen before the conflict.
The waterway normally carries roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.
Iran has long sought to assert control over transit by requiring coordination with its forces and targeting vessels that ignore its rules, while the United States maintains a naval presence and has assisted Gulf exporters in moving cargoes.
Iran’s navy has announced the deployment of new operational units east of the strait and across the Sea of Oman and Arabian Sea for real-time surveillance, warning vessels not to switch off transponders.
Senior Iranian figures, including security officials, have publicly claimed Tehran is striking several vessels nightly and that the strait remains under Iranian management.
US Central Command has rejected such assertions, stating that American forces and regional partners control the waterway and have facilitated substantial crude shipments.
