Brigadier General Kioumars Heidari, the Deputy Commander of Iran’s War Operations Headquaters adding “we are exercising our naval authority over the Strait of Hormuz” [JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP via Getty Images]
Iran has stepped up its attacks on the region’s oil infrastructure as the deputy commander of its war room said it was “exercising our naval authority” over the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian state TV said on Thursday that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) struck a US oil tanker in the Gulf in the latest attack on oil shipments in the region.
Nine vessels have been struck since Saturday, according to a Reuters tally.
The International Maritime Organisation said that some 20,000 seafarers and 15,000 passengers on cruise ships were stranded in the region due to the war, reiterating calls to shipping companies to “exercise maximum caution when operating” in the region in quotes to AFP.
The IRGC claimed to have “full control” of the Straits of Hormuz, with Brigadier General Kioumars Heidari, the Deputy Commander of Iran’s War Operations Headquarters saying “we are exercising our naval authority over the Strait of Hormuz,” although he said Iran was not intending to close it completely.
Several international shipping companies have suspended bookings in the Gulf as a result of the developmens, with both Denmark’s Maersk and China’s Cosco announcing suspension on Wednesday.
Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd said it would implement contingency procedures for ships already in the Gulf.
Lloyds of London insurance company has said that it was engaging with the US government’s International Development Finance Corporation over issuing insurance to maritime shipping after US President Donald Trump said the US navy should escort tankers in the region, while promising cheap insurance.
Alongside working with the Trump administration, the group said: “There remain approximately 1,000 vessels, approximately half of which are oil and gas tankers, with an aggregate hull value exceeding $25 billion in the Persian/Arabian Gulf and surrounding waters.”
Despite this, however, Morningstar DBRS, a credit ratings agency, said on Thursday that because of the dangers towards international shipping and the potential losses of vessels, US efforts to provide insurance may not restart shipping in the region.
“As long as the security situation remains volatile, many shipowners may remain reluctant to transit the strait even if government-backed coverage becomes available”, the group said in commentary.
Several hydrocarbon production and export facilities have been targeted across the Gulf since the war began, including in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain.
Outside of the Gulf, facilities in Iraqi Kurdistan have also been targeted, while BP evacuated all foreign staff from the Rumaila oilfield on Thursday after two drones landed inside the field.
