NewzTEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Seven oil tankers caught fire or were damaged in the Strait of Hormuz overnight after being hit by Iran or striking naval mines, Tehran said Thursday, a markedly high number as tensions rise over concerns about a return to all-out war.With days before a close election in Israel in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could lose power, and before next month’s U.S. midterm election in which war-linked high prices have sparked voter anger, there are concerns that U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran could resume.“Netanyahu wants to attack Iran, that’s not even a question,” Danny Citrinowicz, a researcher at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies and a former Iran specialist in Israel’s military and intelligence services, told The Associated Press.He accused Israel of rushing into another round with Iran without revamping its strategy. A clear Netanyahu victory in the Oct.
27 election means an attack is almost guaranteed, he said.Main opposition candidates are likely to focus on domestic issues first, but Citrinowicz said he believed the region is on the way toward "another kinetic escalation.”Iran repeats threat to attack U.S. bases in the regionIranian state television reported the claims about the latest attacks on ships, which the AP couldn't independently confirm. The report cited the Revolutionary Guard Corps navy, which again threatened to strike U.S.
military bases in the region if the U.S. keeps helping to guide commercial ships through the strait.The report didn't mention casualties. Iran still asserts control over the waterway, a central point of leverage in any talks with the U.S.
over the war.October has had the most reported attacks on commercial shipping since March in the war's opening weeks, according to a British military monitor, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations. UKMTO didn't report the latest attacks, but it has noted new reluctance by some shippers to report incidents.Oil producers have found ways to keep crude flowing, experts say, but at a mounting cost.Tankers continue moving through Strait of Hormuz despite attacksOil tankers are still moving oil through the strait under U.S. military protection despite the recent upsurge in attacks, according to shipping data and analysis company Lloyd’s List Intelligence.Tanker operators willing to risk the voyage have been shuttling oil from Gulf producers thr…
Iran's state television reported on Thursday that seven oil tankers were either struck by attacks or hit naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz overnight, possibly the largest single-day number of vessels damaged in the waterway since the Iran war started on Feb. 28.Here is the latest news from the Middle East. Read our full coverage here.7 oil tankers reported damaged in Strait of HormuzIran’s state television reported that seven oil tankers caught fire and were damaged overnight Thursday after being targeted or striking naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz.If verified, it would be the largest single-day number of vessels damaged in the waterway since the start of the Iran war on Feb.
28 when the United States and Israel launched joint strikes against Iran.Quoting a statement by the Revolutionary Guard's navy, the Iranian report said that four of the tankers were transferring oil when they were targeted and caught fire. Three more were damaged and immobilized after hitting naval mines. The report didn't provide details about possible casualties or the tankers' flags.The report also warned that the Revolutionary Guard may target U.S.
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