[Anchor]
The United States and Iran have engaged in fierce battles targeting both oil tankers and commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. As gunfire continues along Middle Eastern oil export routes, global oil prices have hit a four-month high.
Gwak Sang-eun reports.
[Reporter]
An emergency tugboat continuously sprays water onto a large oil tanker.
A massive hole is torn into the hull of the tanker.
On the morning of the 9th local time, a fire broke out on the Panama-flagged oil tanker New Andros while passing through Iraqi territorial waters carrying 2 million barrels of fuel oil.
It was reported to have been struck by a drone attack.
A British Royal Navy organization stated that multiple vessels were attacked and rendered inoperable in the northern Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
Iran claimed that it attacked a total of 20 vessels in a single day on the 9th, including U.S. warships, oil tankers, and commercial ships.
This marks the largest scale since the outbreak of the war.
[Iranian State Television: The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responded to the aggression and malicious acts of the terrorist U.S. military, which attacked five Iranian oil tankers.]
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened to expand its control zones to parts of the Sea of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
On the 10th local time, a series of explosions were heard in areas such as Sirik and Minab in southern Iran, and Queshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, which are presumed to be retaliatory strikes by the U.S. military.
Over the past two days, Saudi Arabia launched 54 airstrikes against the pro-Iranian Houthi rebels in Yemen, who attempted to block the Red Sea, an alternative oil transport route. Meanwhile, reports emerged that the Houthis have seized Mokha, a strategic port city near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the entrance of the Red Sea.
As both the Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb oil export routes face severe risks, Saudi Arabia's crude oil exports for August plummeted to 3.2 million barrels per day, hitting the lowest level in 13 years.
Global oil prices surged by more than 3% in a single day yesterday, pushing Brent crude above $101.
This is the highest closing price in four months.
Concerns over global inflation are rising again due to the spike in international oil prices driven by instability in the Middle East.
(Video Editing: Lee Seung-yul, Design: Kang Yun-jung, JUNHO)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.