Four Tankers Hit Near Hormuz as Iran Claims Radar Strike in Bahrain

By Sarah Collins | November 13, 2026

Tensions in the Gulf surged again this week as four oil tankers were attacked in and around the Strait of Hormuz, oil prices jumped, and Iran claimed it had struck an American military radar site in Bahrain. The rapid sequence of events has pushed the months-long conflict between the United States and Iran back to the centre of global attention.

The Joint Maritime Information Center said in its November 12 update that four tanker incidents had been recorded between November 10 and 12. The Fujairah Energy was struck in the Arabian Gulf, and crew members were taken ashore for medical assistance. The Dominica Prosperity was hit by an unidentified projectile on November 11 about 14 nautical miles northwest of Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates, and all 22 crew members were evacuated safely.

Iran's military offered a different account of the same days. According to Reuters, its Revolutionary Guards Navy said two supertankers carrying more than four million barrels of oil were disabled by explosions on Wednesday night. Iran's army later said two more tankers had struck mines on Thursday afternoon. Reuters said it could not immediately verify the Iranian account, and Tehran named none of the vessels involved.

### A radar claim, and a warning to Washington

The most dramatic development came early on Friday, when Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had targeted and destroyed a United States early-warning radar installation in Bahrain. The claim was carried by Iranian state media and reported by Al Jazeera and Reuters. According to the Guard, the strike was retaliation for what it described as an air attack on a telecommunications tower in Sirik, a port city in Iran's southern Hormozgan province, on Thursday.

The Guard called the operation a "serious warning" to the United States to stop what it called aerial provocations and oil smuggling in the Strait of Hormuz. Neither the United States nor Bahrain had commented on the claim by Friday morning, and the extent of any damage had not been independently confirmed. It is the first such claim since early September.

### Oil prices jump as the strait stays dangerous

Brent crude futures settled at $95.82 a barrel on Thursday, November 12, gaining $3.06, or 3.3 percent, during the session. United States West Texas Intermediate crude rose $2.21, or 2.6 percent, to settle at $88.74 a barrel. The rally was driven not only by the tanker incidents but also by claims from Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group that it had attacked Saudi energy sites.

The Strait of Hormuz carries nearly one-fifth of the world's crude oil. The International Maritime Organization has verified more than 130 attacks on vessels in the region since February 28, with at least 25 seafarers killed. At least 10 ships were hit in the first 10 days of November, after 37 attacks in October, according to data from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

### Diplomacy stalls as Trump says no deal is needed

President Donald Trump added to the uncertainty on Thursday, writing on Truth Social that the United States does not need an agreement with Iran. A day earlier, he had threatened to renew military strikes on Iran, and on Tuesday he had paused the American operation to escort stranded ships through the strait. Iran has maintained that the United States must lift its naval blockade and sanctions before direct peace negotiations can take place. Traders will be watching the International Energy Agency's monthly oil-market report, due on Friday, for a clearer picture of the supply disruption.

Sources: Al Jazeera, Reuters via The Hindu and Moneycontrol, Joint Maritime Information Center via gCaptain and Full Avante News, NewsKarnataka, The Curtain, Washington Institute for Near East Policy via reporting