Two More Vessels Seriously Damaged Following Iranian Strikes Near Hormuz

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Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that two oil tankers were rocked by explosions while attempting to pass through the United States-sponsored route south of the Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement issued early on July 21, the IRGC said the two tankers, which it accused of violating maritime regulations, suffered explosions and large fires after attempting to enter and exit the waterway via its southern route, which it described as unsafe and accident-prone.

The Guards added that rescue units were evacuating the tankers’ crews from the area, and accused the United States military of misleading the vessels onto the route.

It renewed its warning to international shipping companies against relying on U.S. military guidance for navigating the waterway, urging them instead to prioritize crew and vessel safety and avoid what it called unsafe and hazardous routes.

The IRGC repeated that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed for as long as U.S. actions in the region continued, saying no oil, gas, or other exports would leave the region under those conditions.

It also said punitive military operations had begun in response to what it called maritime violations by U.S. forces, adding that further details would be released in due course.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) confirmed that a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile close to the Strait of Hormuz.

UKMTO said it had received multiple reports that a tanker had broadcast over VHF Channel 16 that it had been hit by an unknown projectile. The incident was reported eight nautical miles east of Oman’s Limah, and authorities were investigating.

The agency added that the tanker’s company security officer had reported that the crew had abandoned the vessel and were aboard a lifeboat.

Martin Kelly, head advisor at the EOS Risk Group, later identified the targeted tanker as the Kaifan, which is owned by Kuwait.

Following the IRGC’s announcement, UKMTO reported a second attack close to the Strait of Hormuz. It said a vessel was struck by an unknown projectile about 17 nautical miles east of Dibba in the United Arab Emirates, damaging its steering gear. The vessel has not yet been identified.

Iran has tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz — a chokepoint for around 20 percent of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments — since the start of the ongoing limited confrontation with the United States, which ended the memorandum of understanding signed last month to conclude the war.

Crossings through the waterway have fallen sharply across multiple shipping datasets as a result of the confrontation, which saw the U.S. reimpose a naval blockade on Iranian ports, according to a CNBC report.

Lloyd’s List Intelligence recorded just 53 vessel transits in the week through July 20, down 66 percent from 157 the previous week. Tanker and gas carrier movements also dropped, to 30 crossings from 90.

Kpler data similarly show activity deteriorating. Daily crossings, which had averaged more than 20 vessels before July 15, fell to 16 that day before dropping to single digits on July 16. Traffic remained subdued through the rest of the week, with only sporadic recoveries.

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