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Iran steps up Hormuz surveillance: Attacks soar, oil flows crash again
Iran steps up Hormuz surveillance: Attacks soar, oil flows crash again Ships in the Strait of Hormuz have been experiencing the worst spate of attacks since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran. Iran’s military said it has expanded its surveillance of the Strait of Hormuz by deploying new units to target ships, amid a desperate tussle between Tehran and Washington to control the waterway, among the world’s most important passages for energy transport. With the United States naval blockade of Iran’s southern ports in place and sanctions tightening, Tehran has repeatedly said it will pursue military and diplomatic efforts to put pressure on Washington to submit to its demands regarding reopening the strait. Recommended Storieslist of 3 items - list 1 of 3Trump says Houthis trying to increase oil prices before US elections - list 2 of 3How Israel’s ‘Yellow Line’ is reshaping southern Lebanon - list 3 of 3How do Iranians move money abroad to avoid US sanctions? Tehran’s latest announcement coincides with a surge in attacks in the waterway and a fall in oil transit after crude flows had risen back to pre-war levels in September. Chris Featherstone, a political scientist at the University of York in the United Kingdom, told Al Jazeera the increased attacks and their impact on energy flows demonstrate the fragility of the strait as a key pathway for oil exports. So, what’s going on and who controls the Strait of Hormuz now? Here’s what we know: What has Iran said about expanding its presence in Hormuz? The navy said these units would maintain “real time surveillance of enemy activities and maritime traffic in the region”. It also warned vessels not to switch off their transponders and urged them to coordinate with Iranian armed forces for safe passage through the area. Separately, an Iranian official told the Reuters news agency that Tehran had started using different offensive tactics against vessels it considered in violation of its restrictions about 10 days ago, adding that this had led to an increase in attacks on such ships. The strategy includes a change in the type as well as the pace of attacks, with one goal being to influence the outcome of the November midterm elections in the US, according to the official. Attacks in Hormuz rise to record levels Ships in the Strait of Hormuz have been experiencing the worst spate of attacks since the start of the US and Israel’s war on Iran in late February. According to maritime tracking firm Kpler, 10 tankers were struck in the strait between September 28 and October 4, followed by another strike on October 5. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre has separately recorded 15 other attacks between October 6 and October 14, with 11 of them occurring in just the past four days. They include a container ship and a tanker hit by unknown projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, UKMTO said. Iran maintains that its attacks and restrictions in the waterway are a matter of national security and self-defence in response to the US-Israel war. Iranian authorities have also signalled they intend to disrupt a US-assisted shuttle system that has enabled more energy exports through the strait during the war. In its latest report on Sunday, the US Navy-led Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) noted that the threat to merchant shipping in the Strait of Hormuz remained “severe”, the second-highest level. Attacks by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), “attempted attacks, and/or harassment activity persisted including UAV overflight, targeted surveillance of merchant shipping, and occasional VHF hailing,” JMIC said. UAV stands for unmanned aerial vehicle, or drone, while VHF hailing refers to Iranian forces using standard marine radio to verbally contact, track, and intimidate passing merchant ships on international communication channels. How have attacks affected oil flows? Before the US-Israel war on Iran began on February 28, the Strait of Hormuz typically handled about 125 large commercial vessels a day and shipments through it accounted for about 20 percent of global crude and liquefied natural gas supplies. In retaliation for the US-Israeli attacks, Iran effectively closed the strait and has stepped up attacks on vessels trying to break its regulations. Meanwhile, Washington has also maintained a blockade on Iranian ports. In September, however, Gulf oil flows through Hormuz, excluding Iran, recovered to more than 81 percent of pre-war levels, while crude exports from the wider Middle East exceeded pre-war levels on 14 days during the month, Kpler reported. Shepherded by the US Navy, more and more oil tankers had started passing through. The Iranian threat meant ship crew were being paid hefty bonuses, insurance rates remained very high, and some analysts suspect that Gulf nations may also have been paying off Iran to allow tankers to transit. This means that while more oil was being exported from the region, crude prices remained high. But the surge in Iranian attacks in recent days has changed the equation. According to Kpler, only 2.9 million barrels of oil were carried through the waterway on October 11, the lowest level this month. As recently as October 8, nearly 20.8 million barrels of oil passed through the strait. The pre-war average was 17.1 million barrels a day. Oil prices continued to climb on Wednesday morning, with Brent crude futures gaining 89 cents, or 0.8 percent, to $106.58 a barrel as of 00:30 GMT. Brent futures had closed at $105.69 a barrel on Tuesday, while West Texas Intermediate settled at $94.14. What is the US saying? On Wednesday, a US military official confirmed to Reuters that Iran had changed tactics in the Strait of Hormuz in one significant way. The official noted that after Washington destroyed much of Iran’s radar capabilities, the IRGC had started using unarmed spotters in small boats to identify potential targets, including US naval vessels. The US military determined that Iranian spotters were operating from dhows, calling in targets to the IRGC, the official said, adding that US forces confronted one such vessel, told its occupants to abandon ship and then destroyed it. US Central Command (CENTCOM) has also rejected assertions by the commander of the IRGC that Tehran controls the Strait of Hormuz and would sink approaching US warships. “IRGC’s navy commander has no navy. American forces and regional partners clearly control the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM said on X. The military command added that US forces assisted Gulf partners to ship more than 19 million barrels of crude oil through the strategic chokepoint on Monday. So, who controls Hormuz? Since Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz after the war began, the US Navy has reportedly opened up a route so Gulf states can export oil and other commodities amid the energy crisis caused by Iran’s attacks on ships. On Sunday night, Iran’s security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, claimed that US Central Command, with the assistance of the United Arab Emirates military, was using smaller vessels to transfer oil to larger tankers. He said this US shuttle system was an explicit target for Tehran, and that Iran has been striking five or six participating vessels nightly for weeks. “You are smuggling, but the strait is under Iran’s control, and we manage it,” he asserted. This appeared to be a taunt aimed at US President Donald Trump, who has hailed energy exports at times reaching pre-war levels over recent weeks. Iran has claimed that the US accepted some of its seven conditions for the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and for ending the war, but that Washington’s response was “insufficient”. Tehran insists that a deal will only materialise when all its demands are met. “The Trump administration has not moved to engage with continued negotiations, and hasn’t sought further help from potential interlocutors, such as Qatar and Pakistan,” Chris Featherstone, the University of York political scientist, said. “For Iran, they may be seeing this as a point to increase pressure on the Trump administration.” But he noted that the strait is not under Iranian control, and that Tehran’s attacks only attempt to show that Washington does not control the waterway either. “As such, US allies will increase pressure for the Trump administration to bring more stability to the region, or show a path towards achieving greater stability,” he added.
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Israel raises alert levels amid fears of renewed war with Iran
Israel has raised its security alert levels to the highest possible level amid growing fears of a renewed military confrontation with Iran and the possibility of a large-scale pre-emptive Iranian attack, Israeli Channel 14 reported. According to the report, the Israeli security establishment fears that Iran may seek to change the rules of engagement after being twice surprised by previous Israeli operations. There is concern that Iran might choose to launch a large-scale preemptive strike instead of waiting for a new Israeli move, which could ignite a new round of direct confrontation between the two countries. The report said Israeli concerns were growing despite Iran’s severe economic crisis. According to Israeli assessments, the Iranian government continues to allocate substantial resources to rebuilding its military capabilities, including ballistic missiles, launch platforms and drones, as well as restoring capabilities damaged in previous attacks. Meanwhile, Israel is working to strengthen its operational readiness for various scenarios, including a surprise Iranian attack and the possible resumption of strikes inside Iran in coordination with the United States. READ: Israel not expected to attack Iran before elections, opposition leader says
Container ship sinks after hitting mine in Strait of Hormuz — IRGC
The ship was carrying about 2,500 containers
Iran executes man accused of armed attacks during US-Israeli strikes
Ali-Sina Mostafavi, 38, a mountaineer and musician from Kerman, was executed on charges of “enmity against God” after being accused of firing on civilians and soldiers during the opening months of the war. He was also charged with participating in the January protests and sending footage Iran executed a political prisoner in Kerman on Wednesday on charges of carrying out armed attacks during what the Iranian judiciary described as joint American-Israeli military operations on Iranian soil. The Mizan news agency, the official outlet of Iran's judiciary, identified Ali-Sina Mostafavi, 38, as one of "the armed agents of the American-Zionist enemy" and accused him of opening fire on civilians in Azadi Square in Kerman on 24 March, wounding one person and a young girl. According to Mizan, he also fired on conscript soldiers and passing vehicles on 21 April, injuring further civilians. The judiciary additionally accused him of participating in protests in December 2025 and January 2026 — which the Iranian authorities call the "Dey protests" and describe as a coup attempt — and of sending footage to Persian-language media outlets based outside Iran, which Tehran brands as hostile. Among the items seized from Mostafavi, said to be from the city of Bam, were a Brno rifle with telescopic sight, a shotgun, a second unlicensed shotgun, 246 rounds for the Brno and 30 Molotov cocktails, the judiciary said. Mostafavi, who played the tar and had made a solo ascent of Island Peak in the Himalayas and attempted Ama Dablam, reaching 6,600 metres, was held in Shahab prison in Kerman. He was moved to solitary confinement in his final days and his family were summoned for a last visit. Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran's last shah, described Mostafavi on X as "a patriotic young man" condemned after forced confessions extracted under torture in what he called show trials, and urged others to speak out for political prisoners facing execution. The charge Mostafavi faced, moharebeh, or "enmity against God," in Iranian law represents taking up arms against people's lives, property or honour in a way that creates insecurity. Tehran has deployed the charge for decades to suppress opponents, critics and protesters. Second execution this week Two days earlier, the Mizan news agency confirmed the execution of Omar Dorastaran, 25, identified by the judiciary as a member of the Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl. He was accused of helping group members enter Iran, arranging accommodation and transport, and providing support for attacks on IRGC forces in Sistan and Baluchistan province, including the attack on the Paroud base and March 2024 assaults on military installations in Chabahar. The 2024 attack on the Rask police post was among the deadliest carried out by armed groups in south-eastern Iran. Eleven security forces members were killed. Dorastaran, single and from the village of Cheraghan in Rask county, was studying at a religious school in the city of Pishin at the time of his arrest, according to human rights organisations. Halvash, a local media outlet in Sistan and Baluchestan, reported that he was arrested without a warrant and held for an extended period without access to visits or phone calls, and that security agents sought to extract forced confessions through torture. Sistan and Baluchistan, one of Iran's poorest provinces, has long been the scene of armed clashes between security forces and Sunni militant and Baloch armed organisations. Fighting in the province has intensified in recent weeks. Amnesty International on Tuesday condemned the execution of five men within a single week in Iran in cases linked to the January protests, and called for coordinated international pressure on Tehran to halt further executions. The organisation said the Islamic Republic uses the death penalty systematically to intimidate opponents and raise the cost of protest. Iran executed at least 2,159 people in 2025, according to Amnesty.
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Trump ‘blindsided his own Ukraine peace envoys by agreeing deal with Putin’
Trump ‘blindsided’ his own Ukraine peace envoys by agreeing diesel deal with Putin: report Officials were left ‘surprised’ at the announcement having just offered Kyiv new security guarantees Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today.Join today Already a member? Log in The United States promised Ukraine extra post-war security guarantees just before Donald Trump agreed to lift sanctions on Russia for diesel exports and upended the negotiations, according to reports. Volodymyr Zelensky has been emphatic about the need for security assurances in any deal agreed with Vladimir Putin amid concerns that Moscow is already ignoring a supposed energy ceasefire announced by Trump earlier this week. During six-hour talks in Miami last weekend, special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner suggested that the president was willing to strengthen protections for Ukraine as part of a revised peace plan, according to The Telegraph. The “upgraded” guarantees were not specified in detail but the offer was reported to go further than the provision of jets to patrol Ukrainian skies and satellite intelligence support that was initially proposed. The talks were going well and the Ukrainians were reportedly “comfortable” with what was discussed, but they and the Europeans felt that Zelensky would be required to cede territory, according to a source. However, the discussions were frustrated after Trump agreed to allow Putin to export diesel to the US and globally amid rising fuel costs worldwide. Top EU official Bjorn Seibert, who attended the meeting in Miami last week, said that the diesel agreement had shocked participants. He said they were left “surprised”, sources familiar with the meeting told the publication. The envoys reportedly told the Ukrainians that Putin was not ready for meaningful discussions and that the offer to buy Russian diesel was designed to “soften” Putin by allowing him to see the potential benefit of ending the war and reintegrating Russia into the global economy. A European diplomat told The Telegraph that the theory was “bullsh**”. All three parties left the meeting with no agreement. On Friday, Trump announced a deal with Putin allowing Moscow to supply diesel to global markets and that the US would import 300,000 tons of the fuel. He faced criticism from European leaders with the EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas reminding Washington that “Russia has started this war. We should not forget this.” Zelensky said he did not believe that the deliveries would have an impact and suggested that “there are different rationales behind this decision”. Zelensky said Kyiv had not been informed beforehand of the announcement, saying: “No, we did not know about that. We’ve learned that from the media as well.” The Ukrainian leader suggested that the US should consider an arrangement with Kyiv, saying: “Why doesn't America then conclude a diesel deal with Ukraine? Let's propose a diesel deal with Ukraine.” Trump also accused Europe of being hypocritical as it had continued to purchase Russian fuel after the war began. According to a tracker led by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), the European Union has paid approximately €238.6 billion to Russia for fossil fuels since 24 February 2022. However, the data shows a steep decline in EU imports since 2023. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments