The Iranian claims follow two new UK Maritime Trade Operations warnings in the Persian Gulf northeast of Al Jubayl, Saudi Arabia, where one tanker was evacuated after being struck by an unknown projectile 68 nautical miles from the port and a second suffered aft port quarter damage from a rocket propelled grenade fired by a small boat 78 nautical miles out. In its weekly overview through Oct. 16, UKMTO logged 12 attacks around the waterway, the highest pace since March, bringing its tally since the conflict began on Feb. 28 to 135 incidents and 76 casualties. The agency said it is "struggling to accurately report" the true figure because a majority of targeted vessels refuse to report strikes, even as recorded transits sit 70% below prewar levels.
US Central Command has rejected Tehran's assertions that it controls the waterway or is striking vessels with mines, stating that main routes remain clear of mines and that an IRGC projectile, rather than a mine, hit the Singapore-flagged container ship GFS Pride before it sank under tow on Wednesday. CENTCOM said US forces helped about 400 merchant ships and tankers carrying more than 100 million barrels of crude, or over 14 million BPD, transit the strait over the past seven days.