4 minWorld
Iran says it struck Omani island used by US military in Hormuz
Iran's Revolutionary Guard navy says it hit radar, radio and navigation equipment on Didamar Island, an Omani island in the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran claims supported enemy oil smuggling and US military operations.
Iran says its Revolutionary Guard navy struck equipment on Didamar Island, an Omani island in the Strait of Hormuz, targeting radar, radio and navigation gear that Tehran claims was used to support vessel transit and US military operations. The attack reportedly took place on November 8, and Iran announced it two days later, on November 10.
According to Iran's account, the island, also known as Little Quoin Island, hosted equipment that aided what Tehran described as « enemy » oil smuggling carried out without authorization. Iran did not provide independent verification of that claim. Satellite images show apparent scorch marks near the installations, but the extent of the damage remains unclear. Commercial ships are still using the southern route through the strait, which suggests the reported strike has not halted traffic through the waterway.
The incident unfolds against a prolonged standoff over the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage through which a large share of global oil shipments moves. Iran closed the strait in February amid rising tensions with Washington. The US Central Command has maintained a blockade of Iranian ports since April. Washington lifted that blockade in June and reinstated it in July, a sequence that shows how the confrontation has shifted over the course of the year.
Despite the disruption, regional oil exports rose above 80 percent of prewar levels in September and October, according to the figures cited in the reporting. That recovery indicates that crude flows have largely resumed even as military tensions and the blockade remain in place.
The strike follows a separate US action on November 2, when American forces hit Iranian targets on Qeshm Island, the largest island in the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump has described US operations against Iranian targets as limited strikes, a framing that presents the actions as calibrated responses rather than a full-scale campaign. The Didamar strike, by contrast, was carried out by Iranian forces against an installation on the territory of a third country, adding a new dimension to the maritime contest.
The episode places Oman in a delicate position. Muscat has long positioned itself as a mediator between Tehran and Washington and has maintained working ties with both capitals. Because the island in question is Omani territory, the claim raises questions about sovereignty and about how the sultanate will respond. The reporting does not indicate any public statement from Muscat on Iran's claim, leaving the scale of the incident and its diplomatic consequences unresolved.
For shipping companies and energy markets, the central concern is whether navigation in the strait remains safe and predictable. The reported damage to radar and navigation equipment touches directly on the systems that guide vessels through the narrow channel. Whether the strike affects those systems in a lasting way, and whether it prompts a broader escalation, will depend on developments that have not yet been reported.
Source: foxnews.com
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