Iran’s strike on navigation equipment at Oman’s Didamar island is expected to have little effect on commercial traffic through Hormuz, while Gulf oil exports exceeded 80% of prewar levels in September and October, Reuters reported.
Reuters attributed the export recovery to U.S.-assisted passages through the strait and higher Saudi shipments via Yanbu on the Red Sea. Large tankers, chiefly very large crude carriers, transport oil from Gulf ports to offshore transfer areas near Sohar in Oman and Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, where cargo moves between vessels.
Three sources told Reuters Iran struck equipment used to guide ships on Didamar. They offered no damage assessment. Reuters said it could not independently establish whether any systems had been destroyed.
Iranian state media said Tuesday the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had destroyed what it called “enemy navigation systems” on the island. Reuters confirmed video showing smoke over Didamar, while imagery from the European Union’s Copernicus satellite program showed thermal activity.
Two shipping sources and a maritime security source told Reuters they expected limited disruption to commercial traffic. One source said navigation systems were in place at other locations.
Iranian attacks disrupted Strait traffic after the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began in late February. The U.S. military has since assisted commercial vessels crossing the waterway, Reuters reported. Reuters said it had not heard back from U.S. Central Command or Oman’s media ministry by publication.
