Iran’s escalating campaign against commercial shipping vessels in the Strait of Hormuz has reached record levels, with new figures showing that October has already become the worst month since the war began.
Dozens of oil tankers and cargo ships have been struck by missiles and drones in recent weeks, even as the United States Navy continues its efforts to move tankers through the critical waterway.
Donald Trump Back in 2020. Creative Commons Photo.
President Donald Trump delivers remarks at a business session with the nation’s governors, Friday, February 21, 2025, in the State Dining Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Harrison Koeppel)
Reuters reported on October 23 that at least 28 attacks were recorded in October alone.
More than 110 have been reported since the war began on February 28.
The increasing severity and frequency of the attacks are having a huge impact on commercial shipping through the region, with new figures showing that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz slowed significantly over the weekend.
The rise in attacks comes as efforts to negotiate an end to the war remain stalled, with President Donald Trump widely understood to be waiting until after the midterm elections to resume his strike campaign.
October: The Worst Month for Ship Attacks
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy compiled the new data, which shows October has seen more attacks on commercial ships than any previous month since the organization began tracking maritime security incidents in 2017.
This means the figures aren’t just the worst since the war began, but also for at least the last decade or so.
Noam Raydan, a senior fellow from the institute, told Reuters that October set a new record.
Data from the International Maritime Organization support the analysis.
According to the latest reports, more than 30 very large crude carriers (VLCCs), also known as supertankers, have suffered damage during the war, including 11 in October.
These figures represent roughly 3.5% of the global fleet of such vessels, each capable of carrying around two million barrels of oil at a time.
On October 5 and 11, the situation was particularly difficult, with 12 ships coming under attack in just one week.
Container Ship Sinks
Among the most serious recent incidents, which was still not met by a military response from the United States, was a Singapore-registered container ship being struck on October 13 while traveling through the strait.
According to Reuters, the vessel, GFS Pride, caught fire after an unidentified projectile struck it. The ship then sank.
GFS Pride had a capacity equivalent to 2,824 standard shipping containers, and it was operating in waters that have seen repeated attacks on commercial traffic in recent months.
Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority confirmed the incident, saying all 21 crew members were safe and that no one was injured.
On October 14, a different Singapore-registered vessel, GFS Giselle, sustained hull damage — but the ship remained operational and reached safe anchorage without assistance.
The two incidents prompted authorities in Singapore to condemn the continued targeting of civilian shipping by Iran, and issue a warning that the attacks violate international law and endanger merchant crews.
Shipping Traffic Slows All Over Again
The increase in attacks on commercial ships coincides with the end of the midterm election campaign, in which major national polls seem to indicate that the Republicans are set to perform poorly.
Tehran appears to be deliberately working to destroy President Trump’s chances of helping his party maintain control of Congress — and while strikes escalate, Trump is still holding off from launching any new strikes against Iran that could hurt his already struggling poll numbers.
According to Lloyd’s List Intelligence, September was the busiest month for non-Iranian-linked vessels since the war began on February 28. 477 ships passed through the strait during that period, of which 231 entered the Persian Gulf, compared with 198 in August and 160 in July.
That huge recovery continued into October — but data published on October 22 showed that weekly crossings had begun to fall again, this time from 126 between September 28 and October 4 to 104 between October 5 and 11.
This represented a 17% decline.
The decline was especially noticeable among gas and oil tankers.
Crossings for those vessels fell from 105 to 81 over the same period.
Over the last weekend, the situation deteriorated further, with data from ship-tracking firm Kpler showing that only five commodity vessels crossed the strait on Saturday, October 24. No crossings were registered the following Sunday.
By comparison, 31 vessels crossed during the weekend prior.
The new figures represent a decline of over 80% over the two weekends. Although many ships switch off their tracking systems to avoid being targeted, the latest data suggests they are again disrupting the recovery — and continuing to hurt the Republicans’ chances of maintaining control of Congress.
About the Author: Jack Buckby
Jack Buckby is a British researcher and analyst specializing in defense and national security, based in New York. His work focuses on military capability, procurement, and strategic competition, and he produces and edits analysis for policy and defense audiences. He brings extensive editorial experience, with a career output spanning over 1,000 articles at National Security Journal, and has previously authored books and papers on extremism and deradicalization.
Jane doe
October 27, 2026 at 12:34 pm
Doom on MAGAts
Ernie
October 27, 2026 at 12:44 pm
See, according to 47, the US decimated all things Iranian military and yet we have this and other reports of the Iranians with firepower left. Which is it? Seems 47 was over-confident.