Nov 11 – In the Strait of Hormuz, tankers are still ablaze, oil spills are washing ashore and drones and missiles strike infrastructure across the region, despite expectations of a de-escalation reflected in falling oil prices.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency reported on Wednesday another incident involving a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran said an oil tanker caught fire after hitting a naval mine.
US forces have also continued to enforce a naval blockade of Iranian ports. Attacks in the strait have caused environmental damage, with oil leaking from damaged tankers. At least 10 ships were hit in the first 10 days of November, after 37 attacks in October, the highest monthly tally since the conflict began, according to data from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
The Saudi Energy Ministry said that a building belonging to Aramco in Riyadh had been targeted in an attempted attack, with debris causing limited damage to the building with no injuries or fatalities. A US military aircraft fired on and disabled a St Kitts-flagged cargo vessel that tried to depart regional waters after visiting an Iranian port on Saturday, US Central Command said. A video shared on social media on Monday, and verified by Reuters, showed oil reaching the shores of Oman, while satellite imagery showed oil spills off the coast of Oman and UAE. The Omani government did not respond to Reuters request on Tuesday for comment on the video of oil reaching Omani shores.
