The Strait of Hormuz saw fresh maritime violence on Friday, with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claiming an attack on a US-operated surface drone as separate strikes damaged two vessels off the coast of Oman.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its navy struck an unmanned US “sail drone” at the entrance of the strait, and that its forces had seized the vessel. The Guard framed the operation as a response to naval activity near Iranian waters.
Separately, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that projectiles hit two ships in waters off Oman. The agency, which monitors regional shipping incidents, did not immediately attribute responsibility for those strikes.
The events add to a run of confrontations around the waterway, through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply passes. Earlier reporting had detailed Iranian claims of a strike on a US boat in the same corridor.
The pressure on shipping lanes has pushed regional energy infrastructure into a defensive posture. Saudi Arabia shut down its East-West crude oil pipeline after what officials described as multiple attacks, halting a key overland route designed to move crude across the kingdom without transiting the Gulf.
The East-West line carries crude from oilfields in the east to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, offering an alternative to tanker traffic through Hormuz. Its closure removes a fallback that producers rely on when the strait becomes contested.
The Strait of Hormuz remains the single most important chokepoint for seaborne crude, linking Gulf producers to buyers in Asia and beyond. Repeated incidents there have kept insurers, shippers and oil markets on alert through the year.
Iran has previously asserted broad control over movement through the waterway, and confrontations involving drones, tankers and naval forces have recurred in recent months. Western navies maintain a presence in the area to protect commercial traffic.
The latest strikes on the two vessels off Oman had not been claimed by any party as of Friday. UKMTO advised vessels in the area to exercise caution and report suspicious activity.