3 Ships Struck by Projectiles Near Strait of Hormuz

Latest Developments

• 3 Vessels Struck Off Iranian Coast: “Unknown” projectiles struck three ships near the Strait of Hormuz on March 11, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported. According to Reuters, the Thai-flagged Mayuree Naree, the Japan-flagged ONE Majesty, and the Marshall Islands-flagged Star Gwyneth sustained damage. Mayuree Naree’s operator, Precious Shipping, stated, “Three crew members are reported missing.”
• Iranians Threaten Strait: Iranian security chief Ali Larijani threatened that the “Strait of Hormuz will either be a strait of peace and prosperity for all or will be a strait of defeat and suffering for warmongers.” On March 11, Iran’s unified military command center spokesman warned, “We will never allow even a single liter of oil to pass through the Strait of Hormuz for the benefit of America, the Zionists or their partners.”
• Trump Threatens Harder Strikes if Iran Mines Strait of Hormuz: President Donald Trump said on March 10 that “if Iran has put out any mines in the Hormuz Strait … we want them removed, IMMEDIATELY! If for any reason mines were placed, and they are not removed forthwith, the Military consequences to Iran will be at a level never seen before.” U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) later stated that “U.S. forces eliminated multiple Iranian naval vessels, March 10, including 16 minelayers near the Strait of Hormuz.”

FDD Expert Response

“Successful opening of the Strait of Hormuz requires two broad steps. First, the United States needs to destroy the Iranian missile, mine, drone, and fast attack craft threat. This will take three to four weeks and reduce transit risk to manageable levels. Second, establish a vessel convoy schedule utilizing ‘unblinking eye’ capabilities, air-defense-equipped destroyers, Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS)-equipped fighter aircraft, and armed helicopters. Only when the conditions for these two steps are set should we consider the strait ‘reopened.’” — RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, Senior Fellow and Senior Director of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation

“Iran’s closing of the Strait of Hormuz would be intolerable. It would wreak additional havoc on global oil prices. Ship owners and insurers, who are notoriously risk-averse and uninterested in political considerations, will likely delay or redirect their shipments, adding high costs for the final consumer. While securing a narrow waterway by hostile shorelines is complicated, the United States cannot allow Iran to have the final veto on which vessels get through and which don’t.” — Edmund Fitton-Brown, Senior Fellow

“The Islamic Republic of Iran, through both direct actions and the employment of terror proxies such as the Houthis in Yemen, continues to earn its reputation as the leading threat to freedom of navigation and maritime trade in the Middle East. As long as the regime remains in power, that will not change, but we should not underestimate the challenges associated with addressing the Iranian threat to traffic transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Any Americans prone to overconfidence in the current circumstances should consider the difficulties the United States confronted in dealing with the Houthis in the Red Sea.” — Bradley Bowman, Senior Director of FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power

FDD Background and Analysis

“Iran Increasingly Employing Cluster Munitions Against Israeli Civilians,” by Aaron Goren, Justin Leopold-Cohen, and Ryan Brobst

“America is fighting a war that Iran chose,” by Lt. Col. (Ret.) Geoffrey Corn and Orde Kittrie

“Israel intensifies strikes on repression sites, expands outreach to Iranians as regime repression deepens (March 8-10 updates),” by Janatan Sayeh

“Iranian and Iranian-Backed Attacks Against Americans (1979-Present),” by Tzvi Kahn