Seven oil tankers caught fire or were damaged in the Strait of Hormuz overnight after being struck by Iran or hitting naval mines, Tehran said Thursday, in an unusually high number of reported incidents that underscores growing fears of a return to all-out war.
With Israel's closely contested elections just days away, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces the prospect of losing power. Meanwhile, ahead of next month's US midterm elections, war-related price increases have fuelled voter anger. Against this backdrop, concerns are mounting that US and Israeli attacks on Iran could resume.
Iranian state television reported the latest ship attacks, citing the navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The force again threatened to target US military bases in the region if Washington continues helping commercial vessels navigate the strait.
The report did not mention any casualties.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a British maritime security monitor, had not reported the incidents. However, maritime monitors have noted in recent days that some shipping operators appear reluctant to report attacks.
Iran continues to assert control over the strategic waterway, a key source of leverage in any negotiations with Washington over the war.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday that Tehran remained open to diplomacy but was prepared to defend itself.
Iran has warned that it has drawn important military lessons from the conflict, which began with US and Israeli attacks on February 28. In recent days, Tehran has also signalled that it could broaden its targets to include critical infrastructure such as undersea cables and data centres.
The United States, meanwhile, is deploying additional military assets to the region, including a third aircraft carrier and thousands of troops. They will join what is already the largest concentration of US warships and aircraft in the Middle East in decades.
Mediators are continuing efforts to bring Washington and Tehran back to formal negotiations.
Iran is promoting a new proposal under which it would end the war and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within a week, provided the United States meets several conditions.
Those conditions include ending the US blockade of Iranian ports and echo demands contained in an earlier agreement that collapsed within days of being signed by Washington and Tehran in June.
US President Donald Trump rejected the latest seven-day proposal, although both sides have acknowledged that indirect discussions have continued.
Since Trump's rejection, attacks on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz have increased.
A return to full-scale war would once again put civilians across the region at risk, disrupt global supplies of oil, natural gas and related products such as fertiliser, and likely trigger another surge in prices.