Full Breakdown
Iran Accelerates Tanker Strikes in the Strait of Hormuz
By Drooid · · How we work
Recent Attack on the LR2 Tanker Lipsi
On Sunday, Iranian forces struck the brand-new LR2 tanker Lipsi, a vessel linked to a Greek operator and a Chinese owner. The attack damaged the engine room, echoing two earlier incidents on Saturday in which drones entered a funnel and struck the port quarter of two other tankers, causing fires, loss of propulsion and subsequent tows. No injuries were reported in any of the three Saturday incidents. The latest hit brings the total to five tankers struck within four days, including the Kuwaiti VLCC KAZIMAH III on October 1.
Pattern of Escalation and Strategic Context
The pace of Iranian strikes has quickened after weeks of relative security, pressuring the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz—a chokepoint that recently carried more than 12 million barrels per day, near pre-war export levels. Most of the recent victims were transiting without AIS signals, complicating detection. The surge follows a broader regional trend of heightened maritime risk, with additional disruptions reported in the Black Sea and off Somalia.
Key Figures and Statistics
- Five tankers hit in a four-day span (first noted on September 28).
- Three separate incidents logged by U.S. Central Command’s Joint Maritime Information Center on a single Saturday.
- Engine-room damage reported on all three Saturday targets.
- Oil flow through the waterway remains at >12 million barrels per day despite the attacks.
- The last U.S. CENTCOM strike on an Iranian tanker occurred on September 8.
U.S. Assessment and Response
A U.S. official, speaking to the *Wall Street Journal*, indicated that Iran’s ship-targeting capability appears to be improving and suggested that a reduced emphasis on deterrence may be granting Iran greater latitude to strike shipping. The United States has halted publicized counter-attacks on Iranian-linked merchant vessels since the September 8 CENTCOM strike. Naval analyst Tom Bike identified three disabled tankers near the Musandam Peninsula and noted at least four additional tankers making daylight transits through the channel, underscoring the continued, albeit challenged, flow of tanker traffic under U.S. protection.