Iran Claims It Hit 10 Ships Near Hormuz as IRGC Extends Zone Into Arabian Sea

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said Wednesday it had targeted ten ships near the Strait of Hormuz. Two were US-linked; eight were oil tankers. The IRGC described the attack as a response to US forces sinking five Iranian oil tankers in the same waterway earlier that day.

UK Maritime Trade Operations issued a safety advisory after merchant ships reported disabling fire across the northern Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. UKMTO attributed the incidents to active military operations.

Iran's IRGC also announced a restricted maritime zone. It would run from Chabahar on Iran's southern coast into the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. Ships in the zone would face enforcement action, an IRGC spokesperson said. No coordinates were released.

Earlier in the week, Iran fired ballistic missiles at two US warships near the Strait of Hormuz and CENTCOM struck three Iranian tankers in response. On August 31, Saudi VLCC SIDR was hit by three projectiles 17 nautical miles east of Khasab. No casualties were reported.