Iran expanding attacks on ships beyond Hormuz to keep oil prices high; official vows full closure coming - report

Iran is deploying new tactics against ships sailing through the Strait of Hormuz in a bid to keep oil prices high and influence the outcome of the US midterm elections, two senior Iranian officials said.

Tehran has tried to control the strait since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28, restricting passage through a waterway that carried about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade before the war. The officials declined to detail the new strategy, but one said Iran began using different offensive tactics in recent weeks against vessels it considered in violation of its restrictions.

Attacks on those ships have increased since, the official said. The shift covers both the type and pace of attacks and, they said, was approved at the highest levels of Iran’s leadership.

“The aim is to frustrate efforts by the United States and its allies to bring down global oil prices,” one official said. The other said Tehran would not let President Donald Trump lower prices before the November vote. “Just when they think they are getting close to the point where prices will fall, we will push them away from it. This is a game of chess,” the official said.

The officials said operations would also expand beyond the strait into the Gulf of Oman and farther afield. “Such vessels would be safe nowhere, even outside the Strait of Hormuz,” the second official said. Both said Tehran is moving toward a point where no vessel violating its restrictions could pass. “It will be complete closure soon,” one said.

Shipping data points to an escalation. There were at least five incidents involving tankers and other commercial ships around Hormuz in the past 48 hours, including drone strikes, according to maritime security sources and reports to UK Maritime Trade Operations.

Attacks have surged to their highest level since the war began, according to independent data. “There is a tempo increase in strikes, which looks deliberate,” one maritime security source said. Ships have also been hit off the coasts of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in recent days.

A US military official said that after the US destroyed much of Iran’s radar capabilities, the Revolutionary Guards began using spotters to identify targets. Unwilling to risk its remaining fast boats, Iran has been unable to stop a ramp-up in oil exports through the strait, the official added.

The war, which costs about $3 billion a month, has become a key issue on the campaign trail. Trump is weighing next steps against Iran but has said he will not attack before the vote, while the US presses its naval blockade of Iranian ports. The Pentagon and Iran’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.