The escalation comes as oil shipments through the strait approach prewar levels. Nearly 20 commercial ships, mostly tankers, have come under attack over the past month in Hormuz, the Persian Gulf or off Oman, the Joint Maritime Information Center reported. About a fifth of the world's oil has passed through the strait.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have also claimed control over the waterway. UK Maritime Trade Operations reported that an inbound tanker reversed course on October 5 after the Guards threatened to target it. Separately, an unidentified projectile wounded 12 crew members aboard the Panama-flagged oil tanker On Peace, including 11 Indians, India’s Foreign Ministry said. Oman evacuated 10 injured crew members, and the wounded were receiving treatment in Khasab.