Ahead of US polls, Iran shifts Hormuz attack tactics, report says

Iran is deploying new tactics to target ships sailing through the Strait of Hormuz as it seeks to keep oil prices high and influence the US midterm elections, two senior Iranian officials told Reuters. The two officials declined to provide details of the new strategy, but one said that Iran had started using different offensive tactics against vessels it considered in violation of its restrictions about 10 days ago, adding that this had led to an increase in attacks on such ships. The strategy included a change in the type as well as the pace of attacks, with one goal being to influence the outcome of the US vote, they said. "The aim is to frustrate efforts by the United States and its allies to bring down global oil prices," one of the two officials said. The decision to adopt the new strategy had been taken at the highest levels of Iran’s leadership and was fully coordinated across the country’s ruling system, the officials said. A US military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Iran had changed tactics in one significant way: after the US destroyed much of Iran’s radar capabilities, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had started using unarmed spotters in small boats to identify potential targets, including US naval vessels, the official said. In recent days, attacks on commercial ships still sailing through the strait have surged to their highest level since the war began, according to independent data. Report by Reuters