Shooting at three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and escalating tensions between the United States and Iran

The British Maritime Trade Operations Authority, based in London, reported today, Wednesday (September 30, 2026), that three oil tankers were exposed to fire in the Strait of Hormuz.

The British Authority explained, in separate reports, that the tankers were exposed to fire with unknown projectiles. The incidents reportedly occurred yesterday, Tuesday. The authority, which monitors maritime traffic, reported that an oil tanker and two tank ships were hit by “unspecified” projectiles.

Although Iran did not initially claim responsibility for the two attacks, a spokesman for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard said today that “military confrontations occur in the Strait of Hormuz every 24 hours, but America has not responded for some time.”

In its conflict with the United States, Iran deliberately obstructed shipping traffic through the strait. The Strait of Hormuz, vital for global oil supplies, is pivotal in the war between the United States and Iran that broke out seven months ago.

Iran almost completely closes the strait, using mines, or targeting ships crossing it without coordination with it, while Washington blockads Iranian ports.

The Iranian authorities announced on Wednesday (September 30, 2026) that they had received the official American response to their proposal to end the war in the Middle East, days after US President Donald Trump rejected the plan. Government spokeswoman Fatima Mohajerani told the official IRNA news agency, “Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi presented the American proposal during today’s government meeting to President Masoud Pezeshkian.”

After more than seven months of war and diplomatic stalemate, indirect talks between the United States and Iran resumed last week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Iran says it has put forward seven conditions for ending hostilities and reopening the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which constitutes the most prominent points of contention in the war.

The Strait of Hormuz is at the heart of the war that began with American and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February. Before the outbreak of war, the sea corridor was a crossing point for about a fifth of the world's supplies of oil and liquefied natural gas.

US President Donald Trump said today, Tuesday (September 29, 2026), that he does not know if Iran “will surrender yet” in its war with the United States, but he indicated that the situation of the Islamic Republic is “very bad.”

For his part, the head of the Iranian Islamic Shura Council, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, said, “The Americans must realize that the era of intimidation, threats, and attempts to eliminate this civilized people has passed,” stressing that “the leaders of the White House must know that the brave and history-making Iranian people will never back down in the face of threatening language, or loud speeches, or the air and commercial blockade, and that the response of the Islamic Republic of Iran to any threat or adventure will be harsh, remorseful, and swift.”

Sanctions “as part of the economic exclusion process” of Iran

In a related context, the US Treasury Department announced on Tuesday that Washington had imposed sanctions on 13 individuals and entities, including parties based in Russia, China, Hong Kong, and Pakistan, in order to assist the Iranian Ministry of Defense in purchasing weapons and their components.

These sanctions come as part of a broader effort by the Trump administration aimed at isolating Iran economically and forcing it to negotiate an end to the US-Iran war that broke out in February.

Treasury Secretary Scott Besent said, “As part of ‘Operation Economic Exclusion,’ the Department will continue to target and obstruct those who provide material, technical, or financial support that allows the Iranian regime to continue its terrorist activities... The Department will not tolerate any support for the regime, and will continue to monitor, expose, and isolate those who enable Iran’s practices.”

The Treasury Department stated that the sanctions aim to undermine Tehran's ability to rebuild its weapons programs, while increasing the cost to parties that support its procurement efforts.

​ Commercial sources and shipping data revealed that Saudi Arabia has resumed oil loading operations from the port of Yanbu on the Red Sea after restarting the East-West pipeline.

Oil loading from Yanbu was halted earlier this month following a drone attack on the East-West pipeline, but the resumption of loading operations affected global oil prices, as it reinforced indications of increased flows from the Middle East after the US war with Iran led to a reduction in oil shipments.

A source at an Asian refining company said that the oil giant Saudi Aramco informed its customers of the shipping schedule in October from the port of Yanbu. The refining company loaded a shipment from the port a few days ago.

Aramco has not yet responded to Reuters' request for comment.

Satellite images from the European Space Agency indicated that loading operations had resumed.

“Satellite images taken by the European Space Agency over the Red Sea on September 27 show that Saudi Arabia is loading approximately 10 million barrels of crude oil in Yanbu and Al-Mujaj,” ship tracking company TankerTrackers.com wrote in a post on the Al-Mujaz Port is located south of Yanbu.

The company added, "We also observed operations of loading duplicate products. We monitored with the naked eye a total of 40 tankers, regardless of their activity or proximity to these two ports."

Two trade sources separately estimated the quantities of crude oil loaded from Yanbu at about two million barrels per day since last week.

A source in the sector said that oil flows through the pipeline amounted to about two million barrels per day, while the Kpler ship tracking company indicated that it was 2.65 million barrels per day. This is much less than the pipeline's capacity of seven million barrels per day.

The company expected oil flows to rise to between three and four million barrels per day in the coming days.

The company indicated in a memorandum issued yesterday, Monday, that a full return to the pre-attack rate of about 5.5 million barrels per day may take another month.

The Iraqi Ministry of Transport announced today, Tuesday (September 29, 2026), that Iraqi Airlines is preparing to resume its flights to Iran in October, following its suspension in light of the US sanctions that impose restrictions on the services provided to Iranian airlines.

The ministry explained that Iraq obtained a special exception allowing Iraqi Airlines to operate flights to Iran.

The Ministry of Transport said that flights next month will initially depart from “Najaf International Airport after completing the necessary regulatory requirements.”

A source in the Iraqi Ministry of Transport said that the US Treasury Department was the one that granted the exemption, and it will continue for a month. The source added that the number of permitted flights has not yet been determined.

An Iraqi official source told Agence France-Presse, "Iraqi aviation obtained an exception, but with conditions, to operate flights between Najaf and Iran."

In turn, a source at Najaf Airport said, “The airport was notified yesterday of the resumption of Iraqi flights to Iran, but there are no flight schedules yet.”

Najaf Airport, a major gateway for Iranian pilgrims wishing to visit the holy shrines in Iraq, suspended flights by Iranian companies late last week, in compliance with the sanctions recently imposed by Washington on the entire air transport sector of the Islamic Republic.

The Iranian embassy in London today, Monday (September 28, 2026), denied what it described as “tendentious and baseless speculation” linking Tehran to five British citizens who were arrested over the weekend near the Fairford Air Base of the British Royal Air Force.

The embassy said in a statement published on the X platform that it “categorically rejects and strongly condemns” attempts to link Iran to the arrests, adding that such speculation will only lead to “fueling Iran-hate propaganda” in Britain.

British counter-terrorism police said five young Britons were arrested near a US-run air base in England on suspicion of “offenses of the Explosives Act” and “planning a terrorist act”.

Counter-terrorism investigators said they were investigating "multiple lines of inquiry", including whether there was a link to Iran, Russia or non-state-backed armed groups. The RAF Verford base has been the focus of protests by anti-war activists.

However, on Monday afternoon, the police announced their release on bail, and Britain's head of counter-terrorism police, Lawrence Taylor, said that the suspects face strict conditions and will "remain fully under investigation while we explore multiple lines of investigation."

For his part, US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House, "I am surprised by their release. I would not have done that," adding, "We know everything about them. We would not have released them."

In July, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard warned that any base used to launch attacks on Iran would be considered a “legitimate target,” according to the Telegraph.

The US Air Force has used the Fairford base since the Cold War, and previously used it in operations during the Gulf War in the early 1990s and the Iraq War in 2003.

Oil prices rose in Asian trading today, Monday (September 28, 2026), after Iran announced its refusal to ease its conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, after US President Donald Trump rejected the Iranian proposal to open the Strait, which dashed hopes for a rapid resumption of transit traffic through the Strait, through which about a fifth of global energy supplies pass under normal conditions.

Bloomberg News Agency reported that Brent crude, the global oil standard, rose to about $107 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate crude, the US oil standard, rose to more than $94 per barrel.

President Trump said in an interview with the Axios news website yesterday, Sunday, that Tehran's conditions would have been acceptable to Washington about a year ago, adding that Iran is overestimating its position. Trump indicated that he expects negotiations between Tehran and Washington to resume this week.

Suvar Sarkar, head of energy research at DBS Bank, said that oil gains will likely be limited, because the market was not expecting the strait to reopen within seven days, according to the Iranian proposal, adding: “We do not think this changes things much.”

Bloomberg indicated that crude prices witnessed a clear fluctuation during the past week amid conflicting indicators regarding the talks, the return of oil flows from the Middle East, and a state of uncertainty regarding American measures aimed at curbing the record prices of diesel (diesel) in the American market. Trump said that the White House is “very seriously” considering imposing restrictions on exports of this fuel.