Iran has begun implementing new attack tactics on ships sailing through the Strait of Hormuz with the aim of maintaining high oil prices and influencing the U.S. midterm elections, two senior Iranian officials told Reuters.
Two unnamed officials said the decision to change strategy was made at the highest level of Iranian leadership and that this has led to more frequent attacks on vessels Tehran considers to be violating its restrictions. One of the officials said: “The goal is to thwart the efforts of the U.S. and its allies to lower global oil prices.”
A U.S. military official confirmed a significant change in tactics: after attacks that damaged Iranian radar capabilities, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Command began using unarmed spotters in small boats to identify potential targets, including American ships.
According to an American source, last week such spotters operated from a “dhow”-type vessel whose data was allegedly transmitted to the IRGC; U.S. forces intercepted the vessel, ordered the crew to abandon it, and then destroyed it, with no casualties.
The report also notes the broader context: Tehran has restricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz following attacks by the U.S. and Israel, which threatens to disrupt global energy markets as a significant portion of the world’s oil and liquefied gas trade passes through this strait. The U.S. is enforcing a naval blockade of Iranian ports and expanding sanctions in an attempt to pressure Tehran.
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