Strait of Hormuz: Islamic Republic changes its tactics for attacking ships ahead of US election

About ten days ago, the Islamic Republic changed the method and tempo of its attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz in order to keep global oil prices high and influence the outcome of the US midterm elections on 3 November. Two senior Islamic Republic officials told the Reuters news agency this, adding that the decision was taken at the highest level of the government.

According to one of the two officials, the new tactics have changed both the type and the pace of attacks on ships that Tehran considers to be violating its restrictions. He described the aim as neutralising the efforts of the United States and its allies to bring oil prices down. The second official said such ships would not be safe even outside the Strait of Hormuz; both said the Islamic Republic is moving toward closing the waterway completely to these ships. The officials gave no details of the tactics.

Unarmed spotters in small boats

A US military official said that after US strikes knocked out a large part of the Islamic Republic's radars, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is using unarmed spotters in small boats to identify targets, including American warships. According to him, US forces last week identified a dhow from which spotters were passing target coordinates to the IRGC, ordered those aboard to leave it, and then destroyed the dhow; no one was hurt. The official added that the IRGC, which does not want to risk its remaining fast attack boats, has been unable to stop other countries from increasing their oil exports through the strait.

Maritime security data and the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) show that attacks on commercial ships in Hormuz have reached their highest level since the war began on 28 February 2026, with at least five incidents recorded in the past 48 hours, including a drone attack on tankers. The US Navy-led Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) has set the threat level for commercial shipping in Hormuz at "severe", the second-highest level. Earlier, twelve commercial ships in one week had been targeted in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf.

Attacks spread to the Gulf of Oman

Islamic Republic officials said Tehran intends to extend operations to the Gulf of Oman and farther waters; recent attacks on ships near Qatar and the UAE show this expansion has begun. On 12 October the IRGC had acknowledged an attack on the third supertanker in two days, and one of its naval commanders had threatened to sink American warships.

The war costs the United States about three billion dollars a month and has become one of the main issues of the election campaign. Donald Trump has said he will not attack the Islamic Republic before the election, but the naval blockade of Iran's ports and sanctions continue. The US Department of Defense and the Islamic Republic's foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment.

According to the Islamic Republic's own officials, attacking global shipping has become a tool for influencing the US election.