Iran claims it struck a small Omani island in the Strait of Hormuz, targeting oil tanker navigation infrastructure as CENTCOM maintains its blockade of Iranian ports and protects commercial shipping from Iranian attacks along the southern route.
Three sources also confirmed to Reuters Wednesday that navigation systems and communications equipment on Didamar Island, also known as Little Quoin Island, had been attacked, raising concerns about the vulnerability of maritime infrastructure used to maintain oil shipments through the Gulf.
Iran’s semiofficial Fars News Agency reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy targeted the island, alleging the systems were being used to help vessels transit the strait without Tehran’s authorization.
WHITE HOUSE SILENT ON IRAN-OMAN HORMUZ PLAN TEHRAN SAYS WOULD BAN US WARSHIPS
Iranian state television also claimed that personnel and equipment on the island “were helping the flow of oil smuggling by the enemy,” with the IRGC maintaining it had carried out the strikes, Reuters reported.
Video published by Reuters showed smoke rising near the rocky outcrop.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said it identified the attack as occurring Nov. 8, before Iranian state media claimed responsibility on Nov. 10.
ISW also questioned the extent of the reported damage, noting that commercial vessels continued using the southern route after the attack.
“The extent of the damage to these systems and the systems struck remains unclear at the time of this writing,” ISW said in its assessment.
Satellite imagery from the European Union’s Copernicus Sentinel-2 program, cited by Reuters and dated Nov. 8, also showed apparent scorch marks near radar and radio equipment on the island.
TRADE VESSEL STRUCK BY PROJECTILE IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ AMID US-IRAN TALKS
The strike comes as U.S. forces carry out missions to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
The U.S. Navy imposed its blockade of Iranian ports in April after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz in February amid escalating tensions. The U.S. lifted the blockade in June following a temporary ceasefire agreement, but then reinstated it in July.
Commercial and allied shipping through the waterway is advised to use a southern route through Omani territorial waters, located outside of Tehran’s direct military control and overseen by CENTCOM.
The latest incident on Didamar Island comes as Gulf oil exporters work to restore shipments disrupted by the conflict.
TRUMP MEETS KEY IRAN WAR MEDIATOR AS UAE REVEALS MAJOR OIL EXPORT SURGE DESPITE CONFLICT
According to Reuters, regional oil exports recovered to more than 80% of prewar levels in September and October, aided by CENTCOM and increased Saudi exports through the Red Sea.
Shipping companies have also relied on offshore tanker-to-tanker transfers near Oman and the United Arab Emirates to maintain flows.
Didamar, meanwhile, belongs to Oman, making the reported attack particularly sensitive as Tehran seeks to disrupt maritime operations in the region. It is a small, uninhabited rocky island roughly 10 nautical miles north of the tip of Oman’s Musandam Peninsula, near one of the principal commercial shipping routes through the strait.
The island has long served as a navigational landmark for vessels traveling along the waterway, including through a lighthouse established in 1914.
Its maritime infrastructure reportedly includes a radar system mounted on a roughly 25-meter tower and radio communications equipment used to assist vessels navigating the narrow passage.
The island has also been associated with the Hormuz Control Centre, which coordinates maritime traffic in the area.
OIL SQUEEZE TIGHTENS AS IRAN-BACKED ATTACKS CRIPPLE HORMUZ ESCAPE ROUTES
Arabian Maritime and Navigation Aids Services (AMMAS) has been identified as a provider of navigational support infrastructure in the region, including maritime lights, buoys and other equipment.
The reported Didamar attack also follows U.S. military operations against Iranian targets elsewhere in the waterway.
U.S. forces struck targets on Iran’s Qeshm Island Nov. 2, and officials described the strikes as “defensive” actions targeting Iranian surface-to-air missile threats.
Qeshm Island, located near the Strait of Hormuz, is home to Iranian naval facilities and military infrastructure associated with the Revolutionary Guard.
President Donald Trump also acknowledged Nov. 6 that American forces continue to conduct limited strikes against Iranian targets.
Asked by a reporter about the strikes near Qeshm Island, Trump said, “I don’t want to talk about it. We do minor strikes. They built a little bit of an anti-aircraft device, and we knocked it out in about 15 minutes, maybe five.”
