strikeMar 14, 2026

US preparing for ‘littoral warfare’ in Strait of Hormuz | The Jerusalem Post

Summary

The US is moving thousands of US Marines to the Middle East as the Iran war continues into its third week. Axios reported on March 13 that US “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is sending an amphibious assault ship, the USS Tripoli, and its Marine expeditionary unit to the Middle East, a senior US official confirmed to Axios on Friday." More than 2,500 Marines are likely in the war. The deployment offers Marines and the rest of the US military the chance to finally engage in “littoral warfare,” a concept that has been discussed for decades. In the wake of the Cold War, when the concept of two large conventional armies going toe-to-toe with nuclear arms became less relevant, there was a sense that warfare might shift toward smaller operations. In 1993, Ralph Stokes and Richard Thompson wrote in the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Technical Digest that “the end of the Cold War and the potential increase of worldwide regional conflicts have produced a significant change in US military and maritime strategy. Many future conflicts will involve joint operations of all forces and will include situations that culminate in massive and highly coordinated power projection operations from the sea.” They noted that “Littoral operations present many stressing and unique challenges and require some rethinking of the broad range of naval roles and missions. This article examines the naval roles, missions, and implications of littoral operations, and identifies key technologies and capabilities required to meet the objectives with maximum effect and minimum losses.” In their paper, they were prescient. They noted that “by definition, littoral warfare involves operations near shore as well as in more confining sea regions, such as the Strait of Hormuz or the Persian Gulf. Near shore means close enough to bring force to bear on the adjacent land, and may range from a few miles for covert surveillance or naval gunfire support to hundreds of miles for aircraft carrier strike operations.” Today, the Strait of Hormuz is in the spotlight, and so is Littoral warfare. The US carried out airstrikes on Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf on Friday, hitting military sites on the island. The island accounts for more than 90% of Iran’s oil exports. Oil reaches the island via pipelines. There are other small islands that may soon be in the spotlight. Time Magazine noted that “three strategically located islands - Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb - positioned at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz are at the center of a decades-long dispute between Iran and the United Arab Emirates.” An issue going back decades Although there are arguments in the media about whether the US planned for Iran to block the Strait of Hormuz, it is clear that the military has been concerned about this issue for decades. In an article at the US Naval Institute in 2012 by Captain Robert Carney Powers, he noted that “blockage of the Strait of Hormuz by a hostile power was a frequent scenario. The "US-supported nation" (the "Blue" coalition nation) was in need of timely reinforcements to succeed. Red could best succeed by using its significant land forces to seize key objectives before the United States could get more troops and equipment into position. Breaking through the chokepoint at the Strait of Hormuz was essential to ensure the flow of logistic, amphibious, and troop ships into Blue ports. It also was essential to maintain the flow of oil from Middle East nations to the world economy.” When wargaming how the US Navy or a friendly navy would break a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, it became clear the operation would take “weeks, not days.” As time went by, “this resulted in a logistical bottleneck; troop ships and supplies couldn’t get through the choke point. Large ships piled up waiting for the order to proceed. No oil was transported out of the Persian Gulf. The world economy suffered. Meanwhile, Red ground forces were moving toward their key objectives,” notes Powers in 2012. The US realized it needed smaller ships, leading to the concept of a “littoral combat ship.” This resulted in two types of ships, the USS Freedom and USS Independence, being launched between 2006 and 2008. However, the results of investment in the littoral ships didn’t lead to solving the problem. “As currently configured (weapons, manning, concept), is the LCS up to the tasks it could soon face (in the Strait of Hormuz and elsewhere)? The answer is regretfully ‘no,’” notes Powers. “It has taken 17-plus years since the LCS concept was born to come up with a flawed ship. What must go to accommodate the systems needed to make it relevant to its tasks? The LCS is, after all, a 3,000-ton ship (much larger than a World War II destroyer escort, and three-fourths the size of a Perry- or Knox-class frigate). The space for needed capability can be found.” Littoral combat in the Indo-Pacific Recently, the questions about littoral combat have shifted to focus on the Indo-Pacific, “where China’s militarization of artificial islands, deployment of hypersonic antiship missiles, and expansion of naval and coast guard assets have turned the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait into potential flash points,” an article at the US Naval Institute noted in 2025. Sebastian Bae, who served six years in the Marine Corps, designed a wargame called "Littoral Commander" to simulate the challenges in the Indo-Pacific. As noted by Andrew Feickert, who has written about the US Marine Corps Marine Littoral Regiment (MLR), “in March 2020, the US Marine Corps (USMC) announced a major force design initiative planned to occur over 10 years originally referred to as ‘Force Design 2030,’ which is now known as ‘Force Design.’ Under Force Design, the Marines are redesigning their forces to place greater emphasis on naval expeditionary warfare. As part of the redesign, the Marines originally planned to establish at least three Marine Littoral Regiments (MLRs) organized, trained, and equipped to accomplish a number of missions within contested maritime spaces.” It's now possible that the Marines and the US military in general may engage in the kind of littoral combat that has been discussed for decades. Dan Lamothe, who writes on military affairs for The Washington Post, noted on X the kind of units being sent to the Middle East today: “A Marine expeditionary unit, a foundational force for the Marine Corps that typically deploys on ships but also go ashore as needed.” He notes that an “MEU typically has an infantry battalion, an aviation unit with jets and helicopters, and a logistics component. In this case, it's the 31st MEU from Okinawa, Japan. The infantry battalion training with this MEU is 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, of Camp Pendleton. They are assigned on a rotational basis. Total number of personnel in the full MEU: About 2,200 to 2,400.” It will arrive with the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group, consisting of the USS Tripoli and two other vessels (in this case, USS San Diego and USS New Orleans). Navy personnel in an ARG typically number about 2,000, though it can vary. Counting the Marines, that's 4,200 to 4,400 total additional deployers. They work hand-in-hand. Decades of American thought, planning, wargaming, and training have gone into this moment. Far from being a shocking scenario, the closure of the Straits has been imagined for decades. This is unsurprising considering that the 1980s Iran-Iraq war provided a blueprint for many of the challenges we are seeing today.

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Jul 21, 2026strikeUnverifiedUSIranProxy

Another ship hit in Hormuz as Houthis add to regional risks

○ 1 source

Another ship hit in Hormuz as Houthis add to regional risks A tanker has been struck by an unknown projectile northeast of Oman’s Limah, UK Maritime Trade Operations says on Tuesday - Hormuz was deserted on Jul 21, with no ships observed transiting, data shows.

PHOTO: REUTERS [SINGAPORE] Another tanker was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz as renewed hostilities empty the waterway, while a threat by Houthi rebels to blockade Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea heightened regional maritime risks. The Kaifan, an oil products tanker owned by Kuwait Oil Tanker, was the vessel attacked in the strait, according to security consultancy EOS Risk Group.

The ship was struck by an unknown projectile northeast of Oman’s Limah, UK Maritime Trade Operations said earlier on Tuesday (Jul 21), without naming the tanker. Kuwait Oil Tanker did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment, and ship tracking data shows Kaifan last signalled its location more than a month ago near Sohar, Oman.

The attack on the Kuwaiti tanker follows strikes in recent days on vessels owned by Dynacom Tankers Management. Hormuz was deserted on Tuesday, with no ships observed transiting, data shows. Iran’s recent spate of attacks has focused on oil tankers shuttling through the strait along the Omani coast, often with their transponders turned off.

Earlier strikes have affected major operators such as South Korea’s Sinokor Group and Greece’s Dynacom, which have been instrumental in sustaining crude flows during much of the war with tankers sailing through Hormuz dark. In the week ended Jul 19, Hormuz crossings averaged seven tankers each day, compared with 16 per day a week earlier, said Rahul Kapoor, global head of shipping analytics and research for S&P Global Energy.

“Ship operators remain increasingly cautious, with risk tolerances continuing to be tested,” he said. An empty Sinokor supertanker, Plata Singapore, that was sailing towards the Gulf of Oman with the aim of reaching Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura in the Persian Gulf, deviated from its path on Sunday, according to ship tracking data.

The vessel is currently in the Arabian Sea. The South Korean company did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. The threat by Iran-backed Houthi militants to blockade Saudi Arabia’s maritime traffic has added another element of risk.

Shipowners with vessels seeking to transit the Red Sea were advised to review their affiliations with the kingdom, with at least one supertanker in nearby waters switching its broadcast to say that it belongs to the Indian government. The India-flagged supertanker, Desh Viraat, which is half-filled with crude from Fujairah, began sailing southwest earlier this week towards Bab el Mandeb in the Gulf of Aden, signalling it had armed guards onboard.

Soon after the Houthi threat on Monday, it switched that signal to “Govt. of India Await”, making clear that it has links to New Delhi. Desh Viraat’s owner, the Shipping Corporation of India, did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

“Companies maintaining regular Saudi trade should consider their exposure elevated, particularly for vessels calling at Red Sea ports,” maritime risk company Marisks said in a note to clients late on Monday that was seen by Bloomberg News. Even though it remains to be seen whether the Houthis will carry through with their threat, “for shipowners, risks have heightened”, said Anoop Singh, global head of shipping research at Oil Brokerage.

“If you have an alternate voyage to take, then you will take that and avoid those in the region.” BLOOMBERG Decoding Asia newsletter: your guide to navigating Asia in a new global order. Sign up here to get Decoding Asia newsletter. Delivered to your inbox.

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The Business Times

Jul 21, 2026strikeUnverifiedUSIsraelIranProxy

Oil prices to hit $120 soon? Goldman Sachs makes big prediction as Hormuz concerns loom

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Goldman Sachs has projected Brent crude averaging $80 per barrel in the fourth quarter and $75 in the following year, conditional on reduced Middle East tensions, while noting upside risks from potential shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz or Red Sea.

Brent prices rose above $91 per barrel amid recent U.S.-Iran exchanges and Houthi threats to Saudi shipments before edging lower on Tuesday. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that mediators had proposed a 10-day ceasefire to preserve an interim agreement.

Location: Tehran

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Jul 21, 2026strikeUnverifiedUSIsraelIranProxy

Iran claims attacks in strait of Hormuz; Houthis announce blockade of Red Sea shipping route – Middle East crisis live

○ 1 source

Opening summary: Iran claims attacks on strait of Hormuz ships amid fresh US strikes Welcome to our live coverage of the latest developments in the Middle East crisis. Iran attacked a tanker in the strait of Hormuz early on Tuesday, forcing its crew to abandon the ship, as Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis announced they were imposing an immediate maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea after the two sides traded fire last week for the first time in years.

A Houthi official said the Bab al-Mandeb strait – at the southern end of the Red Sea, through which about 12% of the world’s trade usually passes – would be closed to the Saudis in response to the kingdom’s “unjust blockade on Yemenis for over 10 years”.

Saudi Arabia said it would take “all necessary measures to protect its vessels in accordance with international law”. A 10 consecutive night of US airstrikes has not compelled Tehran to loosen its grip on the strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global energy supplies.

But even as Iran’s president said the country had returned “full-scale war”, the Iranian interior minister travelled to Pakistan – a key mediator in the conflict – for talks. In key developments: The latest US strikes came hours after Donald Trump said Iran would pay “many times over” for killing US soldiers after multiple service members were killed in action over the weekend.

A tanker came under attack early Tuesday in the Hormuz strait off Oman, forcing the crew to abandon the vessel, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed the attack as well as two other attacks on ships in the waterway on Monday.

The US military’s Central Command said its latest airstrikes were to “degrade” Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping in the strait and included hitting military command centres and missile and drone launch sites. Iranian media reported strikes in parts of the country including Bandar Abbas, Tabriz and Bushehr, home to the country’s only operational civilian nuclear power.

Iran’s launched attacks in response against Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, which all host US forces. Oil prices softened after hitting their highest levels in more than a month in the previous session. Brent crude futures eased 0.4% to $88.87 a barrel by 0052 GMT on Tuesday while US West Texas Intermediate crude for September delivery was steady at $82.

47 a barrel. Democrats have seized on the deaths of three US troops killed in Iranian strikes to urge Trump to urgently reverse his resumption of the war with Iran amid widespread anxiety over climbing casualties. The Lebanese army began taking charge of security in three southern villages, the US said, as a deal to secure an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah faced its first test on the ground.

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Jul 21, 2026strikeUnverifiedUSIranUN

Inside the US strike on a shadow fleet tanker

○ 1 source

US forces struck the tanker Settebello in the Gulf of Oman on June 10, killing three Indian crew members when munitions hit the engine room and adjacent areas. Maritime tracking data indicate the vessel had transported Iranian oil under US sanctions for several years and conducted offshore transfers prior to the strike.

The US military described the action as a precision operation, while reports note the ship was stationary at the time.

Location: Strait of Hormuz

Pranav Baskar; Pragati K B; Eric Schmitt