Symbolic imageRecord attacks on Hormuz shipping as US touts escorts and Gulf oil slick widens
Attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz hit a record high, Handelsblatt reports. Reuters says an oil spill off the UAE widened, closing more beaches.
US Central Command said on Sunday, 25 October, that its forces supported more than 3,000 commercial vessels through the strait over six months and helped Gulf states export over 1.5 billion barrels of oil since June. It says more than 95 percent of ships passed safely in recent months and claims the US and regional partners “control the international waterway”. Commander Admiral Brad Cooper said the main transit routes are free of Iranian mines.
Tehran claims control
Iran's armed forces chief of staff Ali Abdolahi said on Monday that Iran has full control of the strait, calls it “completely closed” and allows no vessel to transit outside Iranian rules. Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi had said on Sunday that shipping will not return to its pre-war standard.
Flows recover, prices do not
According to Kpler, at least 16.5 million barrels per day left the region in September, equal to the pre-war average excluding Iran. Analysts credit ship-to-ship transfers, US escorts and more pipeline use. Brent stood at about $114.50 on Sunday, against $72.48 on 27 February.
Other opinions
Serbia's state-affiliated Politika leads with Iran's control claim, while TASS and Al Jazeera lead with CENTCOM's figures.