Two cargo ships sunk in Strait of Hormuz as Iran ramps up attacks in run-up to midterms

Two cargo ships have sunk near the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours after being struck by unknown projectiles in separate incidents – highlighting the heightened danger to shipping as Iran steps up attacks in an attempt to regain control over the critical waterway.

The Singapore-registered container ship GFS Pride was struck on Tuesday while passing through the strait, catching fire and later sinking, according to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. All crew members were safely evacuated.

Videos verified by CNN show black smoke rising from the ship as it takes on water, while later footage and satellite images show cargo scattered in the water and a small oil slick. Iranian state media Press TV reported that the ship had “hit a sea mine on an unauthorized route” – which experts cast doubt on, saying a drone attack was more likely.

The merchant vessel Cape Dao, registered under Antigua and Barbuda, also sank, according to data from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on Wednesday – after it was first hit by projectile on September 23. One Indian crew member was killed.

While many vessels have been hit in the Strait of Hormuz this year, these are only the second and third to have sunk in the Middle East since the Iran war began in February, according to IMO data. Attacks have ramped up significantly since the end of September, once again reducing the amount of oil transiting out of the Middle East and raising oil prices around the world.

European Space Agency/Sentinel 2

That’s been a consistent headache for US President Donald Trump as the midterm elections approach, with gas prices, tariffs, and other factors driving up the cost of living top of mind for many voters.

Data from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) , which monitors shipping incidents, shows just how high the risk is. Nine attacks in or near the Strait of Hormuz have been reported since Monday, including a drone strike on a tanker.

Only 4.147 million barrels of oil successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz on Monday – less than a quarter of pre-war levels, according to maritime data tracking service Kpler. And the seven-day average of oil flow through Hormuz has dropped sharply since early October, Kpler’s data shows.

“The sinking of Singapore-flagged GFS PRIDE marks a dangerous escalation after weeks of near-daily attacks on commercial shipping. Iran claims a naval mine; but a drone strike is more likely,” said former US Navy officer Charlie Brown, also a senior adviser for United Against Nuclear Iran, a nonprofit that tracks and reports on Iranian sanctions violations.

“Many ask what response will the US Navy mount to Iran’s escalating attacks on global shipping,” he added. “But the real question is what response will other nations take? How long will the world tolerate this threat to shipping, seafarers and freedom of navigation?”

After oil increasingly left the Gulf, Iran is trying to regain its stranglehold on shipping

The US military continues to enforce a blockade on Iranian ports to maintain economic pressure on Iran. To some extent, it’s worked: Iran’s economy is in tatters, and in recent months it clearly lost its leverage over the strait, with the amount of oil flowing from other Gulf nations through the waterway increasing to near-normal levels .

That’s partly thanks to a complex operation involving US-military-escorted “dark” transits across the strait at night, with tankers turning off their transponders to avoid detection.

That rise in oil flow is why Iran is now ramping up its attacks and threats, hoping to wrestle back the leverage it once had over the strait – especially as American voters head to the polls.

The Trump administration has tried to lower prices in other ways, including a controversial deal announced last week to drop some sanctions on Russia to import a relatively small amount of the country’s diesel. But this has been met with bipartisan criticism – and there’s no guarantee it will bring any substantial relief, with analysts warning that diesel could climb near all-time highs by November.

CNN’s Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report.

过去 24 小时内，两艘货船在霍尔木兹海峡附近被不明飞行物击沉，这凸显了伊朗为重新控制这条重要水道而加大袭击力度，航运面临的危险性日益加剧。

据新加坡海事及港务管理局消息，一艘新加坡注册的集装箱船“GFS Pride”号周二在通过海峡时被撞击，随后起火并沉没。所有船员均已安全撤离。

经美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）核实的视频显示，这艘船进水后冒出滚滚黑烟；随后的画面和卫星图像显示，货物散落在水中，并有少量油污。伊朗国家媒体Press TV报道称，该船“在未经授权的航线上触雷”——但专家对此表示怀疑，认为无人机袭击的可能性更大。

根据国际海事组织（IMO）周三公布的数据，注册地为安提瓜和巴布达的商船“Cape Dao”号也已沉没——该船于9月23日首次被炮弹击中。一名印度籍船员遇难。

虽然今年霍尔木兹海峡已有不少船只遭到袭击，但根据国际海事组织的数据，这两艘船是自2月份伊朗战争爆发以来在中东地区沉没的第二艘和第三艘。自9月底以来，袭击事件显著增加，再次减少了经中东运输的石油数量，并推高了全球油价。

欧洲航天局/哨兵2号

随着中期选举临近，汽油价格、关税和其他因素推高了生活成本，这成为美国总统唐纳德·特朗普持续关注的问题，也是许多选民最为关心的问题。

英国海事贸易行动中心（UKMTO）负责监测航运事故，其数据显示风险之高令人震惊。自周一以来，霍尔木兹海峡及其附近海域已发生九起袭击事件，其中包括一起无人机袭击油轮的事件。

据海事数据追踪服务机构Kpler的数据显示，周一仅有414.7万桶石油成功通过霍尔木兹海峡，不到战前水平的四分之一。Kpler的数据还显示，自10月初以来，霍尔木兹海峡的七日平均石油流量已大幅下降。

“悬挂新加坡国旗的GFS PRIDE号货轮的沉没标志着在数周以来几乎每天都有针对商船的袭击之后，局势危险地升级了。伊朗声称是水雷所致；但无人机袭击的可能性更大，”美国海军前军官查理·布朗说道。他同时也是“联合反对伊朗核计划”（United Against Nuclear Iran）的高级顾问，该非营利组织追踪并报告伊朗违反制裁的行为。

他补充道：“许多人都在问，美国海军将如何应对伊朗不断升级的针对全球航运的袭击？但真正的问题是，其他国家会采取什么行动？世界究竟还要容忍这种对航运、海员和航行自由的威胁多久？”

随着石油日益远离海湾地区，伊朗正试图重新夺回对航运的控制权。

美国军方继续封锁伊朗港口，以维持对伊朗的经济压力。在某种程度上，这一策略奏效了：伊朗经济已然崩溃，近几个月来，伊朗显然失去了对霍尔木兹海峡的控制权，其他海湾国家经由该水道输送的石油量已恢复到接近正常水平。

这部分要归功于一项复杂的行动，该行动涉及美国军方护送的“暗航”夜间穿越海峡，油轮关闭应答器以避免被发现。

石油流量的增加正是伊朗加大攻击和威胁力度的原因，希望夺回其曾经对霍尔木兹海峡拥有的影响力——尤其是在美国选民即将投票之际。

特朗普政府曾尝试通过其他方式降低油价，包括上周宣布的一项颇具争议的协议：取消对俄罗斯的部分制裁，允许进口少量俄罗斯柴油。但这项协议遭到了两党人士的批评，而且也无法保证能够带来实质性的缓解。分析人士警告称，到11月，柴油价格可能接近历史高位。

CNN的穆罕默德·陶菲克对本报道亦有贡献。