According to preliminary vessel tracking data, transit through the Strait of Hormuz decreased on Wednesday to seven vessels compared to twelve the previous day, and was also below the ten-day average of fourteen. Of these seven vessels, four left the strait, and three entered it.
Some vessels may have passed through the waterway with disabled transponders, and they are not included in the counts. Among the departing vessels was one very large tanker, the 'Finland Prosperity', carrying nearly two million barrels of crude oil. Tankers transporting liquefied natural gas did not leave the strait.
The remaining three vessels that left the strait consisted of two bulk carriers and a near-coastal product tanker. As for incoming vessels, one was a bulk carrier, and the other two were a near-coastal tanker and a medium-sized tanker.
In the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, about 28 commercial vessels passed on Wednesday, which corresponds to the ten-day average of 27. Out of the total number, 16 entered, and 12 left the strait.
US President Donald Trump stated on Wednesday that the United States could strike the Peakex mountain in Iran, strongly urging Tehran to exercise caution, as reported by Reuters. During his speech at the midterm Republican conference, Trump said: 'We are noticing some activity at Peakex. I would advise Iran not to act provocatively because we will have to hit them very hard.'
Peakex mountain is located near the heavily damaged uranium enrichment facility in Natanz, Iran, and is a fortified site containing two deeply buried tunnel complexes. Trump had threatened strikes on Peakex mountain since mid-July.
Wednesday marked the highest number of attacks on shipping since the start of the war between the US and Iran. Iran reported attacking 10 vessels after the US sank five Iranian oil tankers. These attacks caused a sharp rise in oil prices, with Brent Crude futures exceeding $100 a barrel for the first time since July, according to Reuters. At least one sailor was reported killed aboard a tanker, and another is listed as missing.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran stated that Iran will soon publish maps of a new, expanded maritime exclusion zone that would extend to Chabahar on the coast, near Pakistan. US President Donald Trump also stated that Tehran is trying to influence the November midterm elections in the US, adding that the war 'will end immediately after the elections.'
Meanwhile, the escalation of hostilities continues in Yemen and Saudi Arabia, as Houthis attacked southern cities of Saudi Arabia—Abha, Khamis Mushait, and Jizan—with ballistic missiles and drones on Wednesday and Thursday morning, marking the second consecutive day of Houthi attacks on the Kingdom.