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How many ships have been attacked in the Gulf since start of Iran war? - explainer

Since the US-Israel strikes on Iran on February 28, shipping in the Strait of Hormuz has come under repeated attack, with one count listing 27 incidents between March 1 and April 5. The number of vessels passing through the strait has plummeted from 138 to eight per day, and Iran has closed the waterway to ships linked to its adversaries while authorizing passage for friendly nations.

By Tertius News AI Desk 2 outlets · 2 articles Version 1 Coverage Mar 31 – Apr 5, 2026 Published Aug 13

Overview

Two months after the United States and Israel launched military strikes on Iran, the waters of the Persian Gulf remain a high-risk zone for commercial shipping. Reports from maritime security centers and shipping companies describe a series of attacks on vessels and port infrastructure, with the Strait of Hormuz — a passage carrying roughly a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas — seeing a dramatic drop in traffic.

According to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center, as cited by TASS, 27 attacks on ships and port infrastructure were recorded between March 1 and April 5. The same report states that the number of ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz daily has fallen from 138 to eight. These figures have not been independently verified by other sources.

Coverage comparison

Two news agencies have provided the most detailed reporting on these incidents. The Jerusalem Post, citing Reuters and shipping sources, compiled a day-by-day list of attacks starting March 1. TASS, the Russian state news agency, reported the overall tally of 27 incidents and the traffic decline, attributing the data to UKMTO. While both outlets agree on the broad narrative — that attacks followed the US-Israel strikes on Iran — their emphases differ. The Jerusalem Post focuses on the disruption to global trade through the strait, while TASS highlights Iran's retaliatory measures, including the closure of the strait to certain countries.

Key claims

Attack timeline and incidents

According to the Jerusalem Post's compilation (based on Reuters reporting), the first attacks occurred on March 1, the day after the US-Israel strikes. A crew member was killed on the Marshall Islands-flagged crude tanker MKD VYOM after a projectile hit the vessel off the Omani coast, according to ship manager V.Ships. The Gibraltar-flagged oil bunkering tanker Hercules Star was struck near the UAE's Mina Saqr, with a fire extinguished, per UKMTO. A Palau-flagged tanker was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, and the crew of the US-sanctioned Skylight was evacuated, according to Oman's maritime security center.

On March 2, the US-flagged products tanker Stena Imperative was struck by two projectiles in the port of Bahrain, causing a fire and crew evacuation, UKMTO reported. On March 3, the Marshall Islands crude tanker Libra Trader and Panamanian bulker Gold Oak sustained minor damage off Fujairah, per UKMTO. On March 4, the Maltese container ship Safeen Prestige was damaged by a projectile near Oman, leading to a fire and crew abandoning ship, according to shipping sources. The listing continues through March, with the most recent incident reported by TASS on April 5, when debris from a downed drone fell near a container ship at Khor Fakkan port in the UAE, causing a fire and one serious injury.

The broader context

The attacks follow the US and Israel launching strikes on Iran on February 28, a fact reported by both the Jerusalem Post and TASS. TASS adds that the White House justified the operation by citing alleged missile and nuclear threats from Iran, and that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the attack — a claim that has not been confirmed by other sources. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a retaliatory operation, targeting sites in Israel and US military bases in the region, according to TASS.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned that ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz would be targeted, as reported by the Jerusalem Post. In line with this, TASS reports that Iran closed the strait to ships linked to the US, Israel, and countries that supported the aggression against the Islamic Republic. Several tankers were attacked for crossing without Tehran's permission, according to TASS. On March 25, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced that Iran had authorized passage for friendly countries, including Russia, India, Iraq, China, and Pakistan.

Perspectives

The situation is viewed differently depending on the source. Western-aligned reporting, such as from the Jerusalem Post and Reuters, emphasizes the threat to global trade and the disruption to shipping routes, framing the attacks as a consequence of Iran's retaliation. Russian state media (TASS) places more weight on Iran's rationale — the closure of the strait as a response to US-Israeli aggression — and highlights the authorization of passage for friendly nations, which includes Russia. Neither source disputes the occurrence of attacks, but the causal narrative and political framing diverge.

It should be noted that the figure of 27 attacks and the drop to eight ships per day come from a single report (UKMTO via TASS) and have not been corroborated by other outlets. Similarly, Iran's closure of the strait to certain countries is reported by TASS but not independently verified. The death of Ayatollah Khamenei, mentioned only by TASS, is a significant claim that requires further confirmation.

As the conflict continues, the full impact on global energy supplies and maritime safety remains to be seen. Shipping companies are likely to reroute vessels, and insurers may adjust premiums, but the immediate risk to crews and cargo remains high, according to the reports analyzed.

How each outlet told it

Jerusalem Post as of Mar 31, 2026, 8:30 PM UTC

Framing: Iran war threatens Gulf ports and disrupts global trade — Neutral

Facts Included:

Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz will be targeted
Multiple attacks on ships reported between March 1 and March 30
US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28
Strait of Hormuz is a vital waterway with roughly a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passing through it

Read the source article →

TASS — English as of Apr 5, 2026, 10:15 PM UTC

Framing: Critical situation in the Persian Gulf region — Neutral

Facts Included:

27 attacks on ships and port infrastructure recorded in the Persian Gulf region
Number of ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz has dropped significantly
Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz to ships linked to the US, Israel, and countries that supported the aggression against the Islamic Republic
Iran authorized passage through the Strait of Hormuz for friendly countries, including Russia, India, Iraq, China, and Pakistan

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimIran's Revolutionary Guards warned ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz will be targeted.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from Jerusalem Post as of Mar 31, 2026, 8:30 PM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimThe US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from Jerusalem Post as of Mar 31, 2026, 8:30 PM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimThe Strait of Hormuz is a vital waterway with roughly a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passing through it.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Jerusalem Post as of Mar 31, 2026, 8:30 PM UTC
Claim27 attacks on ships and port infrastructure were recorded in the Persian Gulf region between March 1 and April 5.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Apr 5, 2026, 10:15 PM UTC
ClaimThe number of ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz has dropped significantly, from 138 to 8 per day.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Apr 5, 2026, 10:15 PM UTC
ClaimIran closed the Strait of Hormuz to ships linked to the US, Israel, and countries that supported the aggression against the Islamic Republic.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Apr 5, 2026, 10:15 PM UTC
ClaimIran authorized passage through the Strait of Hormuz for friendly countries, including Russia, India, Iraq, China, and Pakistan.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Apr 5, 2026, 10:15 PM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

2 outlets · 2 articles consulted: Jerusalem Post, TASS — English 7 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-08-13