Iran has adopted new tactics targeting vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz in an effort to keep global oil prices elevated and increase pressure on the Trump administration ahead of the US midterm elections, according to a Reuters report citing two senior Iranian officials.
The officials said Tehran’s revised strategy focuses on vessels attempting to navigate the strategic waterway without complying with Iranian orders.
Although both declined to disclose operational details, one revealed that Iran began employing different offensive tactics approximately 10 days ago against ships it considers to be violating its restrictions, increasing attacks on those vessels.
The officials said the strategy involves changes to both the nature and frequency of attacks, with influencing the outcome of the upcoming US elections among its objectives.
“The aim is to frustrate efforts by the United States and its allies to bring down global oil prices,” one of the officials said.
According to both officials, the decision to adopt the new strategy was made at the highest levels of Iran’s leadership and fully coordinated across the country’s governing establishment.
Iran Turns to Human Surveillance After US Strikes Destroy Radar Capabilities
A US military official confirmed to Reuters that Iran had fundamentally changed its operational methods, including the deployment of unarmed observers aboard small boats to identify potential targets, among them US Navy vessels.
The shift follows US strikes that destroyed most of Iran’s radar capabilities, forcing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to rely increasingly on human surveillance.
The American official, speaking on condition of anonymity, disclosed a previously unreported incident from last week in which US forces detected Iranian observers operating from a sailing vessel and passing information about potential targets to the Revolutionary Guard.
US forces confronted the vessel, ordered those aboard to leave and subsequently destroyed it. No casualties were reported.
The official added that Iran appeared unwilling to risk the remaining elements of its fast-attack boat fleet following extensive US strikes against its naval forces.
Despite the change in tactics, the official maintained that Tehran had failed to prevent an increase in oil exports passing through the strait, particularly after American strikes significantly damaged its naval capabilities.
War Costs and Oil Prices Become Central Issues in US Elections
The ongoing war, which carries an estimated monthly cost of $3 billion, has emerged as a major issue in campaigning ahead of the US midterm elections scheduled for November.
The elections will determine which political party controls Congress, making economic conditions and the financial consequences of the war particularly sensitive issues for the Trump administration.
President Donald Trump is considering his next steps against Iran but has stated that he will not launch another attack before the elections.
Meanwhile, Washington has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports and is expanding economic sanctions in an attempt to intensify pressure on Tehran to reach an agreement ending the conflict.
The continuing confrontation over the Strait of Hormuz has left global energy markets vulnerable to further disruption.
The threat of attacks, combined with rising shipping and insurance costs, is complicating efforts to restore normal maritime traffic through the waterway.
Iran’s reported strategy appears designed to exploit these pressures by maintaining uncertainty over the security of commercial shipping, making efforts to reduce oil prices increasingly difficult.
Attacks on Commercial Ships Reach Their Highest Levels Since the War Began
Independent maritime security data indicate that attacks on commercial vessels still travelling through the Strait of Hormuz have increased in recent days, reaching their highest frequency since the beginning of the war.
An analysis of information from maritime security sources and incidents reported by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) found that at least five incidents involving oil tankers and other commercial vessels occurred in and around the strait over a 48-hour period.
Some of the incidents involved drone attacks.
The United Nations’ International Maritime Organization (IMO) said the number of incidents was broadly comparable to the frequency of attacks recorded between 3 and 5 October, suggesting a renewed escalation.
“There has been an increase in the frequency of attacks, and it appears deliberate,” a maritime security source said.
The figures indicate that commercial shipping remains exposed to attacks even as the United States attempts to secure maritime routes and maintain the flow of oil through the region.
Iran Plans to Expand Operations Beyond the Strait of Hormuz
The two senior Iranian officials also revealed that Tehran intends to expand the geographical scope of its operations beyond the Strait of Hormuz.
Under the revised strategy, Iranian attacks could extend into the Gulf of Oman and waters farther from the strait, potentially exposing commercial vessels to threats across a wider maritime area.
Analyses by maritime security sources suggest that this expansion may already have begun.
Drawing on incidents reported to UKMTO and regional maritime security companies, the analyses indicate that vessels have been targeted outside the immediate vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz.
These include reported incidents involving ships operating off the coasts of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in recent days.
The development suggests that Tehran is seeking to increase the geographical uncertainty surrounding maritime security, rather than limiting its pressure to the narrow passage through which vessels enter and leave the Gulf.
‘It’s a Chess Game’: Iran Vows to Prevent Trump From Lowering Oil Prices
The second Iranian official explicitly linked Tehran’s strategy to the US midterm elections, saying Iran would not allow Trump to bring oil prices down before Americans go to the polls.
“When they think they are getting close to the point where prices will fall, we will push them away from it. It’s a chess game,” the official said.
The remarks suggest a strategy centred on repeatedly disrupting attempts to stabilise oil markets, rather than relying solely on a prolonged interruption to shipping.
The official also warned that commercial vessels targeted under Iran’s restrictions would not be able to escape the threat simply by avoiding the Strait of Hormuz.
“Such ships will not be safe anywhere, even outside the Strait of Hormuz,” the official added.
Neither the US Department of War (Pentagon) nor Iran’s Foreign Ministry had responded to Reuters’ requests for comment at the time of reporting.
Iran Warns of an Imminent Complete Closure of the Strait
The Iranian officials said Tehran was moving towards a situation in which no vessel violating its restrictions would be permitted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
“There will be a complete closure soon,” one of the officials warned.
The statement signals a possible further tightening of Iran’s maritime restrictions, although the officials did not provide a timetable or explain how such a closure would be enforced.
In its latest assessment, released on Sunday, the US Navy-led Joint Maritime Information Center warned that the threat facing commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz remained “severe”, the second-highest threat classification.
The centre reported continuing Iranian Revolutionary Guard attacks, attempted attacks and harassment of commercial vessels.
It also documented drone overflights, surveillance of merchant shipping and occasional radio communications directed at vessels operating in the area.
The assessment indicates that maritime security threats remain elevated as Tehran intensifies its efforts to control shipping movements and maintain economic pressure through the strategic waterway.
