Hormuz tanker hit by limpet mines, Brent nears $117 a barrel

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which coordinates with the Royal Navy, flagged a third incident on Thursday involving an outbound tanker burning roughly 25 nautical miles off Khasab, Oman. A follow-up bulletin confirmed all crew members were unharmed and no pollution had occurred.

According to UKMTO, a small craft pulled alongside the tanker’s port side and fixed two explosive charges above the waterline. The blasts ignited a fire in the engine compartment, leaving the ship temporarily unable to move under its own power. UKMTO later reported the flames had been controlled and the vessel continued toward its destination.

In a related development, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated that four tankers had been struck by mines inside the waterway, pushing back against earlier assertions from US Central Command that American forces had already swept the key shipping channels clear. IRGC spokesperson Hossein Mohebi argued that what actually happens in the strait gets decided through events on the water, in the sky and on the ground, rather than through online claims or messaging battles.

The episode unfolded as Houthi forces kept striking Saudi energy facilities, deepening unease over shipping routes across the region. Brent crude touched $117 per barrel during Asian hours, setting it up for a fourth consecutive monthly rise, as traders braced for possible fresh friction with Iran once the US midterm vote on November 3 had passed. A separate data point showed WTI crude holding above $103 a barrel, close to its strongest level in five months.

Why it matters: Fresh strikes near the Strait of Hormuz tanker route — a passage carrying a major portion of the world’s seaborne oil — heighten the chance of disrupted flows. Such episodes typically lift both Brent and WTI prices and can bolster currencies tied to oil exporters while squeezing those of nations reliant on energy imports.

Sources: OilPrice.com; FXStreet