Tankers Attacked One After Another in Strait of Hormuz

[Financial News]  

IRIB News, Iran's state broadcaster, reported that a tanker exploded in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to Al Jazeera on the 3rd (local time), IRIB, citing sources, said the tanker had violated regulations by turning off its vessel-tracking system and entering the strait.
Attacks on tankers have become increasingly frequent in the Strait of Hormuz.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a Royal Navy organization, warned that at least three tankers had been attacked by unidentified aerial objects in the strait over the previous 24 hours, saying attacks on merchant vessels were surging.
According to UKMTO, a tanker was attacked about four nautical miles (approximately 7.4 kilometers) east of Oman that day. Earlier, on the 2nd, a tanker leaving the strait came under attack, suffering a small fire and a power outage, while another tanker was attacked nearby.
Fars News Agency also reported that on the 1st, a supertanker carrying 2.5 million barrels of crude oil caught fire after being attacked while sailing along a route near Oman that had not been approved by Iran.
Following IRIB's report, Iranian state media cited the Persian Gulf Strait Authority as saying that seven tankers had been attacked over the previous five days. The Al Ruwais, Sinbad, and Mersin Prosperity were specifically identified as having repeatedly violated regulations.
News of a tanker explosion in the Strait of Hormuz emerged amid clashes between Saudi Arabia and Houthi rebels over control of the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, which links the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.
Saudi Arabia launched a large-scale attack on the Houthi rebels that day, following reports the previous day that it was planning such an assault. It mobilized Yemeni government forces to attack Sanaa, the capital held by the Houthi rebels, reportedly killing at least 72 people.
The Houthi rebels also retaliated against Saudi Arabia, with reports saying that loud explosions were heard at Saudi Aramco's refinery facilities.

[email protected] Song Kyung-jae Reporter