The Gulf on fire

The Revolutionary Guards struck the tanker Safesea Vishnu, a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel, in the northern Persian Gulf today, after the ship "disobeyed and ignored warnings" from the Iranian navy. The Safesea Vishnu was hit by projectiles that set it ablaze. Nearby, the Zefyros, a Maltese-flagged tanker, was attacked in similar circumstances. Iraq identified both vessels as struck in its territorial waters and shut down oil port operations. A port security official said the body of a foreign crew member was recovered from the water.

A third vessel was hit off the coast of the UAE, near the Strait of Hormuz. It is the sixth ship attacked since Wednesday, according to the UK's maritime agency. Yesterday, the Mayuree Naree, a Thai bulk carrier, was set on fire in the strait. Thailand summoned the Iranian ambassador and three crew members remain trapped aboard. A Japanese cargo ship, the One Majesty, was also damaged while anchored in the Gulf.

IRGC naval commander Alireza Tangsiri declared that any vessel seeking to cross Hormuz must obtain Iranian permission or face attack. On Tuesday, the US destroyed 16 Iranian minelaying vessels near the strait, after Trump warned that if Iran has mined the passage, the "military consequences will be at a level never seen before." What began as a de facto closure of the strait is turning into an open naval war against global maritime commerce. It no longer matters whether Iran formally declared a blockade or not. The effect is the same.