A fire on a tanker in Iraq's economic zone in the Arabian Gulf has been reported. This incident is seen as the latest sign of escalating tensions in the U.S.-Iran conflict, the effects of which have extended beyond the Strait of Hormuz.
Details of the Fire
According to reports, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has reported several times about a fire on a vessel located approximately 60 miles southeast of Al-Faw. The organization has not released further information regarding the status of the ship.
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Pattern of Attacks
Brit Erikson, a security consultant from the risk advisory firm Obsidian, noted that this incident is the tenth suspicious attack on a ship since the beginning of this month and considers this pattern a sign of escalating tensions. While previous attacks in September were mostly concentrated around the Strait of Hormuz, this incident occurred in Al-Faw, which is hundreds of miles away and outside the U.S. air cover in this strait.
Erikson also pointed out that these attacks have increasingly become more serious, with many attacks being severe enough to completely disable ships. For example, a container ship sank last week, which is rare in wartime conditions with such damage and few casualties.
Iran's Objectives and Their Impacts
Attacks on tankers linked to Iraq are part of Iran's objective to prevent the oil exports of Gulf Cooperation Council countries from the Strait of Hormuz. This policy has been pressured due to the presence of a U.S. military mission that is effectively underway. Even if Iran has to work hard to target these objectives in the strait, it can attack tankers in other locations, including Iraq, Qatar, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.
This strategy helps maintain high war risk insurance prices and daily tanker rates while also supporting high crude oil prices, which is a key part of Iran's negotiation strategy.
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