Two container ships sink near strait of Hormuz amid surge in Iranian attacks

Vessels were hit by missiles as rise in strikes suggests Iran is trying to close waterway before US midterm elections

Two container ships near the strait of Hormuz have ⁠sunk after being struck by missiles, amid the sharpest rise in Iranian attacks on shipping since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran.

The Trump administration has been attempting to deflect attention from the economic impact of the war on Iran by blaming Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries for increased fuel prices.

“There is a tempo increase in strikes, which looks deliberate,” one maritime security source said.

Apparently referring to the GFS Pride, Iran said a cargo ship had sunk after hitting a naval mine while making an unauthorised passage through the strait.

The ship, which was shown tilted in the water and spewing a thick plume of smoke, was carrying 2,500 containers, the broadcast said.

However, UKMTO suggested that both ships had been hit by unidentified projectiles, raising questions over Tehran’s account.

Ships in the area were reporting an intense series of attacks in recent days, with six vessels attacked on Sunday alone, according to UKMTO’s monitoring.

The increased tempo of Iranian attacks appears to have caused a dramatic drop-off in oil shipments through the strait, as Tehran appears determined to demonstrate its ability to strike ships before the US midterms that will decide control of Congress.

According to two Iranian officials, Iran has recently begun using new tactics against vessels it considers to be in violation of its restrictions. The strategy included a change in the type as well as the pace of attacks, with one goal being ⁠to influence the outcome of the US vote, they said.

The decision to adopt the new ​strategy had been taken at the highest levels of Iran’s leadership and was fully coordinated across the country’s ‌ruling system, the officials added.

Last week, in a previously unreported incident, the US military determined that Iranian spotters were operating from a dhow, calling in targets to the IRGC, the official said. US forces confronted the vessel, told its occupants to abandon ship and then destroyed it. There were no casualties, the US official said.