Iran shifting tactics to step up attacks on shipping before US vote: Reuters
- Iran is deploying new offensive tactics against commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, two senior Iranian officials told Reuters, aiming to influence United States midterm elections and keep oil prices high.
- Tehran has sought to exert control over the waterway since the US and Israel launched strikes on February 28, aiming to gain leverage over Washington after US strikes devastated its navy and limited fast-boat operations.
- Expanding operations beyond the Strait to the Gulf of Oman, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps began using unarmed spotters in small boats to identify potential targets, according to maritime security sources.
- Attacks on commercial vessels have surged to the highest level since the war began, with at least five incidents in the past 48 hours, and the Navy-led Joint Maritime Information Center described the threat as "severe" on Sunday.
- Describing the campaign as "a game of chess," one Iranian official warned of complete closure of the Strait, stating that vessels violating restrictions would be safe nowhere, even outside Hormuz waters.
117 Articles
117 Articles
Iran's change in strategy is designed to thwart efforts by the United States and its allies to lower global oil prices.
In the US, consumer prices are rising surprisingly because of the Iran war - because expensive oil costs fuel. For President Trump, this could be a problem in the forthcoming interim elections.
'Big escalation' hits Trump as oil flow sees 'enormous drop off' ahead of midterms: expert
With the midterms 20 days away, the Trump administration was confronted Wednesday with a “big escalation” in its war against Iran, geopolitical expert Brett Erickson warned, one that could soon send oil prices skyrocketing.Early Wednesday, Tehran claimed that it had sunk a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz after it had struck a naval mine, the Associated Press reported, the first such instance of a sinking by sea mine. Erickson called the devel…
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