– The Washington Times
Unidentified projectiles struck three cargo ships in or near the Strait of Hormuz early Wednesday amid the U.S.-Israel war against Iran, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported.
Two ships were hit while transiting the strait, and a fire on one of the vessels forced its crew to evacuate. The third ship was struck 50 miles off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, according to the British military-commerce liaison agency.
Casualties from the strikes were not known, and authorities are investigating the incidents.
The UKMTO warned ships in the area to proceed with caution in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman, the three main waterways off Iran’s southern coast.
Iran has not claimed responsibility for the strikes. But the Islamic republic has launched retaliatory attacks against its neighbors since its war with Israel and the U.S. began late last month. Iran vowed Tuesday not to allow any oil to leave the region until hostilities ceased.
The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow corridor connecting the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, is one of the most strategically important waterways for international energy trade, with about 20% of the world’s oil passing through it each year. The waterway has been effectively closed since last week, sending shock waves through global energy markets.
The U.S. sank several Iranian vessels, including 16 mine-laying ships, on Tuesday, according to U.S. Central Command. A video released by CENTCOM showed U.S. airstrikes destroying several unmanned small and mid-sized ships, many of them docked.
Before the strikes, U.S. intelligence had reportedly learned that Iran was preparing to mine the strait, prompting President Trump to say Tuesday that Iran should remove the mines immediately.
Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, said Tuesday that the U.S. will continue to hunt and strike mine-laying vessels and mine storage facilities.
U.S. leaders have considered using Navy ships to escort commercial vessels through the strait. Energy Secretary Chris Wright wrote, then quickly deleted, a post on Tuesday that said the U.S. had escorted a ship through the troubled waters.
Destroying Iran’s navy and its ability to block commercial vessels from traveling through the Strait of Hormuz has emerged as a major objective for Washington as Tehran’s drone and missile attacks threaten oil production and transit through the Gulf.
Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have paused production for some of their largest refineries following drone and missile attacks from Iran over the past week. Other Middle Eastern nations such as Iraq, the UAE and Kuwait, have have suspended oil shipments amid tensions in the strait.
The price per barrel of oil shot up to more than $115 on Monday in reaction to the strait’s closure. The price has dropped to $87 a barrel as of Wednesday morning, but that is still far higher than the average price before the war began on Feb. 28.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
