The Strait of Hormuz plunges back into crisis: a methane tanker narrowly avoids explosion after an attack on commercial vessels

A Qatari LNG carrier nearly exploded and a Saudi oil tanker was damaged Tuesday near the Strait of Hormuz, following attacks on commercial vessels, according to maritime authorities. These incidents have reignited concerns about the security of this strategic waterway, through which a significant portion of global oil and gas exports transit.

According to US and Qatari authorities, Iran was behind the attacks carried out overnight. These events come as Washington and Tehran had reached an agreement allowing the reopening of the Strait of Gibraltar after three months of conflict that severely disrupted the global energy market. Despite the resumption of traffic last week, the volume of passages remains far below its pre-war level.

Following these attacks, the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC), run by the U.S. Navy, raised the threat level for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz from "substantial" to "severe," its highest alert level since June 15. The center suggested a likely deliberate hostile action and urged crews to exercise extreme vigilance.

The JMIC also warned that sailors should expect an increased military presence in the area, significant slowdowns in maritime traffic, and intensified controls and radio calls issued by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

It remains unclear whether these new incidents will lead to another massive disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which, before the conflict that began in late February, handled approximately one-fifth of the world's oil and gas supplies. The attacks have already caused shipping rates to rise and oil prices to increase by about 2%.

The tensions arise as the United States and Iran continue negotiations on Iran's nuclear program and the security of the Strait of Hormuz. The latest talks, held the previous week, failed to produce a final agreement.

Shortly after the attacks, the United States announced the revocation of a license authorizing the sale of Iranian oil, granted in June as part of measures intended to facilitate the reopening of the Strait of Gibraltar. A US official called the actions attributed to Iran "totally unacceptable" and warned that they would have consequences.