Iran adopts new ship-attack tactics in Strait of Hormuz ahead of US midterms

Two senior Iranian officials said Iran adopted new ship-attack methods in the Strait of Hormuz to keep oil prices high and sway November's US midterm elections.

• Two senior Iranian officials said Iran began the new methods about 10 days ago, approved at the highest command levels and coordinated across the ruling system.
• Iranian officials said the goal is to thwart US and allied efforts to lower global oil prices, which one official called "a game of chess."
• A US military official said Iran's Revolutionary Guard now uses unarmed observers on small boats to spot targets after US strikes destroyed most Iranian radar capability.
• Data from maritime security sources and the British trade operations body logged at least five incidents around Hormuz in the past 48 hours, the highest attack rate since the war began.
• The two senior Iranian officials warned the Strait of Hormuz could be fully closed soon, Reuters reported.
• The US Navy-led maritime security center rated the threat to commercial shipping in the strait as 'severe'.
• Iran's military announced it expanded surveillance of the Strait of Hormuz by deploying new units east of the strait.
• Only 2.9 million barrels of oil passed through the strait on October 11, down from pre-war levels.