The prior 24 hours - stretching from Friday back into Thursday - had seen Iran announced no less than four recent attacks on international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, mostly through alleged sea mines.
The fourth claimed attack is the one raising eyebrows and getting most attention, given a tanker was reporteldy disabled by limpet naval mines. This method has not been used by the Iranians in the seven-month long war until now.
via CENTCOMIf accurate, it would be hugely signficant - given a new tactic in Iran's arsenal since the start of Operation Epic Fury - as the last reported limpet mine attack in regional waters was in 2019.
"A UAE-owned crude oil tanker was damaged by limpet naval mines late on Thursday night, a UK-based maritime monitoring agency reported, suggesting a potential shift in tactics by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as it struggles to inhibit shipping in the Strait of Hormuz," regional news source Al-Monitor writes.
"The M/T Louise-1 was disabled while transiting the Strait of Hormuz after two limpet mines that had been attached to its hull above the waterline by attackers aboard a small boat detonated, causing a fire in its engine room after 10 p.m. local time, the UK Maritime Trade Organization (UKMTO) monitoring agency said. The Louise’s crew was unharmed, the agency reported," it adds.
So far the main attack methods have included drones and sea mines. But this limpet mine attack would have involved a smal
