Container Ship and Tanker Struck by Projectiles in Hormuz on Oct. 13 as Trump Says U.S. Has 'Had It' With Iran

Since the war began Feb. 28 with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, Tehran has claimed control of the Strait of Hormuz and routinely fired on ships that cross without its permission. On Tuesday, Oct. 13, the UK Maritime Trade Operations center (UKMTO) reported two more vessels hit, a container ship and a tanker, in separate incidents.

UKMTO said verified sources reported that each ship was struck by an unknown projectile. It said authorities are investigating. The agency did not name the vessels, did not say who was responsible, and gave no times, damage or casualty details. It advised ships to transit with caution and report suspicious activity.

The reports follow a weekend spike. At least five commercial vessels reported attacks between Saturday and Monday, and UKMTO issued four warnings and an advisory over that stretch.

The On Peace casualties

One incident now has a casualty count. The Indian Foreign Ministry said at least 12 crew members of the Panamanian-flagged tanker On Peace were injured, 11 of them Indian nationals. Oman's defense ministry said the tanker was hit about nine nautical miles from the Omani port of Limah, and that the injured were taken to Khasab hospital in Musandam.

On Peace is an Aframax tanker owned by Dubai-based Onex DMCC and managed by Anglo-Eastern Tanker Management Hong Kong. It reportedly carried 19 crew, 17 of them Indian. UKMTO reported a fire in its engine room.

Ship-tracking data suggests the tanker was running dark with its transponder off. It was also one of 81 ships on a blacklist issued by Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), which says listed vessels face fines, detention or confiscation if they try to transit.

No one has claimed responsibility for the On Peace strike. Oman's defense ministry said the attack was presumably carried out by Iran. India's ministry condemned it. "The continuing incidents of attacks on shipping in the region remain a cause of deep concern for India," it said, calling for an immediate end to such attacks.

Tehran's stated position

Iran does not deny targeting ships. The Revolutionary Guards navy said Monday it hit a supertanker that "caught fire," saying the vessel tried to cross by "disabling its transponders" and "ignoring warnings from the Guards' Navy." Guards naval commander Ali Ozmaei had warned over the weekend that any ship switching off its transponder to avoid detection would be treated as "hostile" and face a "severe" response.

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, told state TV on Oct. 10 that Iranian forces were striking an average of five "smuggling ships" every night, according to the Associated Press.

The Institute for the Study of War said Tuesday that Iran appears to be targeting vessels conducting ship-to-ship oil transfers in and near the strait. The institute said Tehran has raised its threats to deter ships from using routes it has not approved, and may be developing its anti-ship missile capabilities.

Trump: "We've had it"

At a rally in Alaska on Tuesday, President Trump said the U.S. has "sort of had it" with Iran. "We're going to do a number," he said. "Wait until you see what we do to Iran."

He tied the remarks to Iran's nuclear program. "The big thing is they were not going to have a nuclear weapon," Trump said. "And they want what's buried under thousands of tons of rock."

Trump did not say what action he has in mind or when. The U.S. already maintains a naval blockade of Iranian ports, and U.S. forces routinely escort vessels through the strait. The war paused in April under a ceasefire, and the two sides signed a framework agreement in June. Clashes resumed as negotiations stalled.

Oil closes mixed

Crude ended Tuesday split. U.S. West Texas Intermediate rose 40 cents, or 0.4%, to settle at $94.14 a barrel, its highest close since late September. Brent fell 96 cents, or 0.9%, to $105.69, easing from Monday's near-peak level. Reuters reported that traders were weighing a U.S.-Russia deal against the escalating Middle East conflict.

The Joint Maritime Information Center had already held the Hormuz security threat at SEVERE, its second-highest level, and warned that further deliberate attacks on merchant shipping were highly likely.

UKMTO has not said who fired on the two ships hit Tuesday, and its investigation is open. Whether the PGSA follows through on fines, detentions or seizures against its 81 blacklisted vessels is the next test of Tehran's control claim. Trump has not defined what "do a number" means, or whether it points to military action beyond the current blockade.