Hormuz ship attacks mount as US vows to cripple Iran economy

Tehran: More ships have come under attack in the Strait of Hormuz as talks to end the war in the Middle East remain stalled and the US readies new economic measures to force Iran to capitulate.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations on Saturday said it had been notified of a projectile striking the hull of a bulk carrier. Two Abu Dhabi National Oil Co vessels were struck while transiting Hormuz on Thursday and another was hit on Friday evening, according to reports from the United Arab Emirates' state-run WAM news agency. There were no reports of injuries.

The waterway, through which a fifth of the world's oil and gas transited before the war, has emerged as a key sticking point in negotiations to bring a lasting end to almost six months of fighting. The US is adamant free passage along the route linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea should be restored, but Iran insists it will retain control.


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The price of Brent crude, the global benchmark, rose almost 6% this week as hopes faded of a quick resolution to a deadlock that's disrupted the flow of oil and other key commodities to global markets. There had been some 65 confirmed incidents involving vessels in Hormuz and the broader Middle East during the conflict and 17 seafarers had died as of August 11, according to the International Maritime Organization.

President Donald Trump has struggled to find an off-ramp to the war, which began when the US and Israel launched air strikes against the Islamic Republic on February 28 and has claimed thousands of lives - most of them in Iran. He told Fox News on Friday that the US plans to hit Iran's economy hard and he didn't care if the conflict ends before the November US midterm elections, which will hinge on voter perceptions of the economy.

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Iran and Oman have been locked in lengthy negotiations about establishing a shipping route through the waterway, but the US isn't party to those discussions. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said technical talks with Oman are ongoing and may be concluded soon, but an agreement wouldn't translate into the strait's reopening. That "is a separate issue. It depends on fulfilling other conditions that the US must abide by for it to take place," he said on his Telegram channel on Saturday.