'We control it': Trump claims Strait of Hormuz as U.S. territory, releases shocking map in bold move - The Economic Times

Tehran, Iran – Dozens of ships were attacked in or near the Strait of Hormuz in October as Iran and the United States compete to assert their authority over the waterway. At least 12 ships were attacked in the week ending on October 16, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported late Friday, with one important caveat. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Fighting in Yemen intensifies: What’s the latest on the battlefield?list 2 of 3Iraq devalues dinar to ease cash crunch, leaving traders in limbolist 3 of 3Containers and debris captured floating around the Strait of Hormuzend of list“UKMTO is struggling to accurately report true number of attacks with majority of vessels attacked refusing to report to UKMTO,” the maritime security organisation stated. It said it was aware of more incidents in the waterway via other sources but could not verify them due to a lack of information. The same pattern has been true for the first half of October. The month has seen the highest number of ship attacks since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran, which began on February 28.

The source of the apparent Apple devices remains unclear, but footage emerged after a Singapore-flagged vessel sank, with all 21 crew rescued; Iranian officials say attacks on Gulf shipping are designed to keep oil prices high ahead of US electionsMedia outlets across the Arab world circulated footage Thursday evening purportedly showing iPhones floating in the Strait of Hormuz following one of Iran's latest attacks on ships in the strategic trade route. The footage shows shipping containers floating at sea, surrounded by numerous small objects. People aboard small boats, whose identities remain unclear, can be seen collecting the valuable goods scattered in the water. One of the boats appears to be loaded with boxes of iPhones. One report claimed the devices were Apple's latest model, the iPhone 18.

Two container ships near the strait of Hormuz have ⁠sunk after being struck by missiles, amid the sharpest rise in Iranian attacks on shipping since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran. The increase in attacks suggests Iran is trying to fully close the strategic waterway in an attempt to frustrate Donald Trump’s efforts to bring down fuel prices before the US midterm elections on 3 November. The Trump administration has been attempting to deflect attention from the economic impact of the war on Iran by blaming Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries for increased fuel prices. On Wednesday, UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported at least five incidents including drone strikes in the previous 48 hours targeting tankers and other commercial ships around the Hormuz area. “There is a tempo increase in strikes, which looks deliberate,” one maritime security source said. The Singapore-flagged ​container ‌ship GFS Pride sank on Wednesday after an attack the previous day. Hours later, the Antigua- and Barbuda-flagged Cape Dao sank close to the strait, having been hit by a ​projectile ​on 23 September, according to data from ‌the ‌International Maritime Organization.

An oil tanker caught fire in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday after entering what Iran's navy described as a prohibited zone with its tracking systems disabled, Iranian state-run media reported, the second such incident in the area in 24 hours. Iran's navy said monitoring teams patrolling the eastern sector of the Strait of Hormuz detected the tanker ablaze in the restricted area, according to a statement cited by the Mehr news agency.