0
Views

U.S. Shows More Restraint After Latest Iranian Tanker Strike

Tanker attack hormuz
Courtesy UKMTO

Published Sep 13, 2026 1:14 PM by The Maritime Executive

Over the weekend, U.S. and Iranian forces continued to trade tit-for-tat maritime strikes on each others' shipping interests, though at smaller scale. This time, U.S. forces hit back with a smaller strike on a smaller target, inflicting limited and repairable damage. 

On Saturday night, a Panama-flagged tanker reported a hit from an unidentified projectile during an inbound (ballast) transit through the Strait of Hormuz, according to Ambrey. UK Maritime Trade Operations confirmed the strike on Sunday morning, and added that the ship is on fire and that local authorities have arrived to support evacuation efforts for the crew. 

In retaliation, U.S. forces conducted a low-intensity strike on a small boxship off the coast of Iran, damaging the wheelhouse without causing an extensive fire. Crewmember video footage released online showed a penetration near the top of the wheelhouse and blast damage inside. Much of the navigational equipment appeared intact, and the vessel (if equipped like most) would likely remain capable of completing its voyage using local controls in the engine control room. 

Notably, U.S. forces did not strike one or more Iranian tankers in retaliation for Saturday night's strike, as expected under a newly-announced "tanker for a tanker" policy. In an apparent attempt to restore deterrence and prevent further U.S. strikes, hardline Iranian paper Kayhan called for a response doctrine that would start with a full-scale attack on "all tankers in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, as well as every tanker outside the region that lies within the reach of Iranian forces" for each U.S. strike on one Iranian tanker. The purpose of such an extreme response would be twofold: first, to inflict damage; and second, to remove tanker tonnage from an already historically tight market - tonnage that would take time to repair or replace. 

Tanker rates are already at unprecedented levels on every major global route because of the deep operational inefficiencies created by Iran's Hormuz blockade and the Houthi blockade on Saudi shipping. Extra, available ships are nearly nonexistant and day rates are doubling weekly - before the prospect of intensified Iranian strikes. Brent crude is already trading above $100 per barrel; if a mass Iranian strike caused sufficient damage - an uncertain proposition for attacks on giant, hard-to-sink VLCCs - "the oil market would face a historic supply shortage, and prices would rise to unbelievable and unforeseen levels," Kayhan suggested. 

Kayhan operates under the control of the supreme leader's inner circle, indicating some amout of official influence, according to Iran International.