Strait of Hormuz commercial ships hit by wave of strikes following US tanker raid

Commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz faced an unprecedented surge in strikes on Sunday, with at least six vessels damaged by incoming projectiles in a single day. The sudden escalation followed an operation by a United States military fighter jet that incapacitated a tanker connected to Iran, which American authorities said was trying to break through a US naval blockade.

According to monitoring data from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre, the incidents took place inside the narrow passage separating Oman and Iran, as well as on approaches to both sides of the corridor. The targeted fleet included two crude carriers, three vessels transporting refined petroleum products, and a general cargo ship.

Casualties were reported following the barrage, with India's Foreign Ministry confirming that at least two Indian sailors were unaccounted for following an impact on one of the vessels.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps asserted responsibility for hitting a very large crude carrier, claiming the supertanker was owned by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, the state-run petroleum operator in the United Arab Emirates. ADNOC has not issued an official statement confirming or addressing the claim.

The wave of strikes represents the most intense one-day series of maritime assaults on commercial traffic through the waterway since American military operations against Iran began in February. Maritime security officials note that the waterway remains under extreme pressure as combatants target commercial traffic operating in and around the crucial international shipping lane.