The Iranian armed forces announced on Friday an attack on an American-owned oil tanker near the coast of Kuwait.
According to state radio, citing the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters—which oversees operational command of the Iranian military during wartime—the vessel sustained damage and has been engulfed in flames.
Meanwhile, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has almost completely halted. According to the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC), navigation signal analysis shows a sharp drop in traffic along one of the world's most critical oil and gas trade routes. Only two commercial passages were recorded in the last 24 hours " both were cargo ships, not oil tankers.
The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, running between Iran and Oman. A significant portion of global oil supplies from regional producers - Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates, which also host US military bases - passes through this maritime corridor.
According to Reuters, Gulf nations have virtually stopped sending oil through the strait and are attempting to reroute some shipments, though this has not yet been enough to compensate for the disruptions.