The Strait of Hormuz carried about a fifth of the world's energy supplies before this war began in late February. On Friday it was a place where tankers burned.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said three oil tankers exploded and caught fire after striking mines while trying to leave the strait through what Tehran calls an "unauthorised southern route" near the Omani coast. Iran's army later reported a fourth tanker on fire east of the strait. The vessels, the IRGC said, had switched off their radar and navigation systems and ignored warnings from its navy. There was no independent confirmation of the Iranian account.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency gave a different version of at least one incident. It reported that a small boat attached two explosive devices to a tanker about 25 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, Oman, on Thursday, causing an engine-room fire that disabled the vessel. The crew was reported safe.
The timing matters. A day earlier, US Central Command said American forces had cleared mines from the main transit routes. "Prove the claim that the Strait of Hormuz has been cleared of mines with independent evidence, not a statement," IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebi said. "The reality of the Strait of Hormuz is determined in the air, on land and at sea, not on social media and in America's media war rooms."
Separately, the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone launched towards the Mecca region. The Houthis denied it. Their military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said no operation was carried out against Saudi territory that day and that Houthi targets are "oil facilities and military bases". He had earlier claimed six operations, including missiles at the Ras Tanura and Rabigh refineries and at an Aramco facility in Abqaiq, missiles at Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, a drone at Dammam's King Fahd International Airport and an attack on a military headquarters in Najran. There was no independent corroboration.
The market's answer was immediate. Brent spiked 2.3% in Asian trading to $117.7, its highest intraday level since April 30. WTI traded around $103.
For India, which imports the bulk of its crude, that is a direct hit on the import bill, the current account and the rupee. Qatari mediators returned to Tehran on Friday to push for a US-Iran understanding, with Washington wanting Iran's nuclear programme addressed first and Tehran insisting the blockade be lifted and sanctions eased before anything else.