Iran Shifts Tactics in Strait of Hormuz as Shipping Attacks Surge

Iran is stepping up attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz with new tactics, using unarmed spotters in small boats to identify targets after American strikes destroyed much of its radar, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing U.S. officials.

The shift was decided at the highest levels of Iran’s leadership, officials said. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has begun using spotters aboard dhows to call in targets, including American naval vessels, a U.S. military official said.

Last week, the U.S. military confronted one such dhow, ordered its occupants to abandon ship and destroyed the vessel. There were no casualties.

Attacks on commercial ships transiting the strait have surged to their highest level since the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran began Feb. 28, according to independent data cited by Reuters. Tehran has warned regional countries that opening new oil export routes would be treated as hostile.

Transits through the strait fell to their lowest in more than two months after the attacks, shipping data showed, with crude crossings down 27 percent from a wartime high.

The United States has pressed a naval blockade of Iranian ports and extended sanctions to force Tehran toward a deal, while Trump has said he will not order new strikes before the November midterm elections.

The standoff has left global energy markets exposed, with elevated shipping and insurance costs complicating the return to normal traffic.

For Pennsylvania drivers and manufacturers, the threatened oil shock lands directly at the pump. Gas prices remain near record autumn highs across the region.