Hormuz tanker attacks have climbed to their highest weekly level since the Iran war began, maritime security firms say, and on Wednesday evening, Oct. 7, 2026, another tanker was struck by multiple projectiles north of Qatar as Iran vowed to close a route near Oman’s coast that ships have used to bypass its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
The latest incident and Tehran’s warning pushed Brent crude back above $100 a barrel, as reports emerged that President Donald Trump’s national security team is weighing a possible resumption of large-scale U.S. military operations against Iran before next month’s midterm elections.
Tanker struck by projectiles off Qatar
The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) said it received a report at about 1900 GMT on Wednesday of a tanker hit “by multiple projectiles” roughly 51 nautical miles (94 kilometers) north of Madinat ash Shamal, Qatar, according to Anadolu Agency. UKMTO said casualties had been reported and authorities were investigating. It did not name the vessel, its flag or the number of people hurt.
The ship was in the Gulf about 500 kilometers (300 miles) west of the strait itself, The Guardian reported. No group immediately claimed responsibility.
Hormuz tanker attacks reach a wartime weekly high
In the week to Oct. 5, there were at least 12 attacks on oil, liquefied natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas tankers around the strait, according to data from three security sources cited by The Guardian. On Tuesday, India’s foreign ministry said 12 crew members were injured in an attack on a Panama-flagged oil tanker transiting the waterway.
The U.S. Navy-led Joint Maritime Information Center said on Sunday that attacks, attempted attacks and harassment by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, including drone overflights and surveillance, have continued. Ships in the Gulf have faced repeated attacks since the United States and Israel struck Iran on Feb. 28, and the strait has effectively been closed since then. Before the war, about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passed through it.
Iran moves to close the Oman-coast route
On Wednesday, Tehran said routes in the strait that it considers illegal would soon be closed, referring to a southern passage along Oman’s coast. Mohammadreza Naqdi, an adviser to the Revolutionary Guards commander, told the Fars news agency that the passages were being used by small boats smuggling oil to tankers and said Iran’s armed forces have “full control” of the strait, The Guardian reported. Another adviser, Majid Mirahmadi, said on Thursday that an average of 10 ships a day were transiting, compared with about 125 before the war.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio disputed Tehran’s account on Wednesday, saying Iran had “lost complete control” of the strait and that nearly as much oil was flowing out as before the conflict began.
At the same time, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran and Oman had agreed on the coordinates of designated safe transit routes for ships entering and leaving the strait, and on how to share them with the relevant international maritime body, according to Gulf News, citing Iran’s IRNA. The step builds on an August framework for a temporary corridor and mine clearance, but it does not guarantee commercial vessels unrestricted passage. Diplomatic efforts on Hormuz have stalled before, including when Trump rejected an Iranian Hormuz plan last month.
Oil above $100 as Washington weighs options
Brent traded at about $100.20 a barrel early Thursday in Asia, with U.S. benchmark WTI near $88.93, Gulf News reported. Prices later rose sharply after reports that the United States could launch new strikes on Iran. Analysts quoted by the outlet pointed to freight rates, war-risk insurance and costly alternative routes as factors keeping prices high even as Gulf exports recover.
Trump and his national security team have discussed resuming large-scale military operations in Iran in the coming weeks, including the option of strikes before the midterm elections, NBC News reported, citing a U.S. official and another person familiar with the discussions. The U.S. has not reported strikes on Iranian targets since Sept. 1, according to The Guardian. A third U.S. aircraft carrier sailed for the region last week, as covered in our report on the US third aircraft carrier heading toward Iran.
The Gulf strain is also playing out in Yemen. The Saudi-led coalition said it destroyed 82 Houthi military targets in four provinces after Houthi drone and missile attacks on airports in Riyadh and Abha killed three people and injured 36, Gulf News reported. The exchange follows Saudi Arabia’s move this week to activate its defense pact with Pakistan and Turkey.