Symbolic imageAdnoc reports 15 ships hit in Hormuz as Iranian oil exports stall
Abu Dhabi's Adnoc said on Friday that missile and drone attacks have hit 15 of its vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, killing one crew member and wounding 20. Iranian crude exports from Kharg Island have been at a standstill under the renewed US blockade.
What happened
- The attacks date to the start of the US and Israeli war on Iran on 28 February; three Adnoc ships were hit this week.
- CENTCOM says it has redirected 51 commercial vessels, disabled two and boarded two since the blockade resumed on 14 July.
- Loading at Kharg Island, source of about nine in ten Iranian crude barrels, stopped on 31 July, according to Kpler and Energy Aspects.
- Brent crude traded just under $82 a barrel in London on Friday.
The view from outside
Russia's TASS highlights that Trump said on 2 August he had called off a planned strike on Iran because regional states asked Washington to refrain while a deal took shape. Bloomberg reports that tankers loading Saudi crude in the Red Sea are signalling Egypt and Suez as their destination.
What could happen next
- Iranian officials say coordinates for a new route were agreed with Oman; the Jerusalem Post reports no visible progress since Wednesday.
- Energy Aspects expects revenue from cargoes shipped before the blockade to run out within weeks.
- Emptied tankers are not returning to Iranian waters: several wait off Sri Lanka, Oman and Pakistan, according to UANI.
- No party has been identified as responsible for the strikes on Adnoc vessels; the company named no attacker.
United States and Israel: CENTCOM enforces the blockade of Iranian ports, while Trump says he cancelled a planned strike to secure a deal with Tehran.
Iran: Foreign ministry officials say they have agreed with Oman on the coordinates of a new shipping route through the strait.
Also involved