The Strait of Hormuz. (Image: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center / Wikimedia Commons — Public Domain)
Yesterday's post covered two cargo ships going down in the Strait of Hormuz as Iran stepped up attacks ahead of the US midterms. Since then the standoff has escalated sharply — Washington and Tehran are now openly contradicting each other about what happened, a second Singaporean vessel has been confirmed damaged, and there are reports the US could deploy its most powerful non-nuclear bomb.
US Central Command on Thursday rejected Iran's claim that the Singapore-registered container ship GFS Pride sank after striking a naval mine. CENTCOM said the vessel was hit by an IRGC projectile and went down while being towed toward shore. Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority confirmed the ship was struck by an unidentified projectile on Oct. 13, caught fire, and sank — all 21 crew members were safely evacuated.
CENTCOM also dismissed Tehran's assertion that it controls the waterway, insisting the US and regional partners hold the strait. The command said more than 40 commercial vessels transited in the preceding 24 hours and that over 19 million barrels of crude oil moved through in a single day.
A second Singapore-flagged container ship, the GFS Giselle, was struck by an unidentified projectile on Oct. 14. It sustained hull damage but reached a safe anchorage under its own power, with all 22 crew safe. Singapore did not publicly name the attackers in either case.
The tempo of attacks is accelerating. A British maritime agency said more than 20 vessels were hit in the first 13 days of October — more than in all of September. Reuters also reported Iran is shifting toward targeting ship-to-ship oil transfers near the strait, widening the threat beyond transiting vessels.
Meanwhile, CNN reported Thursday that the US military may deploy the MOAB — the Massive Ordnance Air Blast, nicknamed the "mother of all bombs" — against Iranian nuclear and energy facilities. First used in combat in Afghanistan in 2017, it is considered the most destructive non-nuclear weapon in the American arsenal.
Iran shows no sign of backing down. Army chief Maj. Gen. Amir Hatami said Thursday the strait "remains closed" and will stay that way until the enemy "fully respects the legitimate rights of the Iranian nation." He said the waterway is under the complete supervision of Iran's armed forces, with the IRGC Navy managing the western section and the Army Navy the eastern section and the Sea of Oman.