Indiscriminate Attacks and "Controlled Zones" Send Oil Prices Surging

[Anchor]

The United States and Iran have engaged in fierce battles in the Strait of Hormuz, targeting both oil tankers and commercial vessels indiscriminately. As gunfire continues along Middle Eastern oil export routes, international oil prices have hit a four-month high.

Reporter Gwak Sang-eun has the details.

[Reporter]

An emergency tugboat continuously sprays water onto a large oil tanker.

A huge hole is blown 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.

Reports indicate it was hit by a drone attack.

A British Royal Navy organization stated that multiple vessels were attacked in the northern Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, leaving them unable to operate.

Iran claimed that it attacked a total of 20 vessels on the 9th alone, including U.S. warplanes, oil tankers, and commercial ships.

This marks the largest scale of attacks since the outbreak of the war.

[Iran State Television: The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responded to the terrorist aggression and malicious acts of the U.S. military, which attacked five Iranian oil tankers.]

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened to expand its controlled zones to parts of the Sea of Oman and the Arabian Sea.

On the 10th local time, explosions were heard consecutively in southern Iran near Sirik and Minab, as well as on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, which are presumed to be retaliatory attacks by the U.S. military.

Over the past two days, Saudi Arabia launched 54 airstrikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, backed by Iran, who attempted to block the Red Sea, an alternative oil transport route. Meanwhile, reports emerged that the Houthis seized Mocha, a key port city near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the entrance of the Red Sea.

As both major oil export routes, Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb, face risks, Saudi Arabia's crude oil exports for August plummeted to 3.2 million barrels per day, hitting a 13-year low.

International oil prices jumped by more than 3% in a single day yesterday, pushing Brent crude past $101.

Based on closing prices, this is the highest level in four months.

Global inflation concerns are resurging due to the rise in international oil prices driven by instability in the Middle East.

(Video Editing: Lee Seung-yeol, Design: Kang Yun-jung, JUNHO)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.