WorldStage– Three oil tankers navigating areas around the Strait of home took hits from what maritime authorities initially called unidentified projectiles Wednesday night.
The vessels include one from Thailand and another from Japan, sailing 11 nautical miles and 25 nautical miles respectively from Oman and Dubai. And a third cargo vessel sailed around 50 nautical miles north-west of Dubai when the projectile struck, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
Iran later took responsibility, saying the vessels ignored its warning.
“Get ready for the oil barrel to be at $200 because the oil price depends on the regional stability which you have destabilized,” state television spokesman, Ebrahim Zolfaqari, said. “Any vessel or tanker bound to them will be a legitimate target.”
The latest attacks, adding up to 13 so far, came a day after 32 countries of the International Energy Agency announced the release of 400 million barrels of oil to stabilize the global oil market.
Iran threatened disruption of vessel traffic through the strait March 1 after the US and Israel bombarded the country. Oil prices initially rose almost 50 percent to $120 per barrel, then fell to $87, still about 17 percent higher than it was before the war.
In Nigeria, petroleum pump prices rose 30 percent about the same time, selling now at over N1000.
The Strait of Hormuz controls 20 percent of global oil transportation across the Persian Gulf. And Iran has always used its control of the passage as a lever during geopolitical tensions.
U.S. President Donald Trump once promised the US navy would accompany vessels passing through that bottleneck.
That has not happened as the war escalates through its second week.
