Attacks on commercial vessels and oil tankers in and around the Strait of Hormuz have reached their highest level since the conflict between the United States and Iran began eight months ago, as US President Donald Trump renewed his threats to launch a severe strike against Iran. Shipping data showed a rise in attacks targeting maritime traffic in the area, while the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said more than 23 attacks had been recorded since the beginning of October.
Since last Sunday, at least 10 vessels have been attacked in or near the Strait of Hormuz, the highest such toll since the conflict began. The intensive targeting of shipping in recent days has led to two vessels sinking, amid severe disruption to global energy supplies.
Two container ships hit, one of them sinks
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said on Wednesday that two Singapore-registered container ships had been hit by unidentified projectiles, causing one to sink and damaging the other. The International Maritime Organisation also reported that a vessel flying the flag of Antigua and Barbuda had sunk near the waterway.
An image showed the container ship JFS Pride in Rozenburg, the Netherlands, with a caption stating that it sank in the Strait of Hormuz on 14 October 2026. Alongside the maritime escalation, Trump said during an election rally in Alaska that he had run out of patience with Iran and that the United States would take action against it. He added: “Wait and see what we do to Iran. We are going to teach them a lesson; we are going to hit it hard.”
Wait and see what we do, because we have really had enough of it
