Key facts
- Two sailors died in an attack on the Saudi oil tanker Sidr in the Strait of Hormuz.
- Saudi Arabia accused Iran of targeting the vessel.
- Iran launched new missile and drone strikes against U.S. bases.
- U.S. forces previously struck Iranian air defenses and capabilities.
- Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz dropped to four vessels on Tuesday.
- Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority added 11 more ships to its blacklist, bringing the total to 56.
Two sailors died following an attack on the Saudi oil tanker Sidr in the Strait of Hormuz, an incident that Saudi Arabia has formally accused Iran of perpetrating. The attack occurred as Iran launched a new series of missile and drone strikes targeting U.S. military facilities.
Bahri confirmed that two Filipino crew members were killed in the attack on the Sidr. Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry condemned Iran for the targeting of the tanker and reiterated its rejection of actions that threaten maritime navigation and global energy supplies. The Sidr was one of two supertankers hit near Oman late Monday.
The deaths aboard the Sidr significantly raise the stakes as U.S. and Iranian forces engage in retaliatory strikes. Iran's strikes followed U.S. actions against Iranian air defenses and capabilities. President Donald Trump commented that the United States now possesses "almost total control of the Hormuz Strait" and issued a warning to Tehran that further retaliation would result in a U.S. response "at a much harder and higher level."
Preliminary data from Kpler indicated that only four commodity vessels transited Hormuz on Tuesday, compared to 10 vessels on Monday and a 10-day average of approximately 13. Six commodity vessels transited the Strait on Wednesday, well below the 10-day average. The number of vessels transiting the strategic waterway could change as some ships switch off transponders during voyages.