Two vessels sank near the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday after being struck in what maritime monitors describe as the sharpest rise in attacks on shipping since the US-Israel war with Iran began on February 28. The Singapore-flagged container ship GFS Pride went down after an attack the previous day, and the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged Cape Dao sank hours later, having been hit by a projectile on September 23, according to International Maritime Organization data. All 21 crew members aboard the GFS Pride were safely evacuated, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said, and no injuries were reported.

Iran gave a different account of the GFS Pride sinking. State television quoted a statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps saying the ship, carrying about 2,500 containers, was on an "illegal and dangerous route" when it struck a naval mine and caught fire. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it had received reports of a container ship struck by an unknown projectile, and maritime security sources told Reuters the GFS Pride was hit by a projectile, raising questions about Tehran's explanation. The Singapore port authority called the attacks "unprovoked, unjustifiable, and a breach of international law." The vessel's UAE-based manager, GFS Ship Management FZE, could not be reached for comment.

UKMTO reported at least five incidents, including drone strikes, on tankers and other commercial ships around the Hormuz area in the previous 48 hours, and six vessels were attacked on Sunday alone. A Financial Times analysis found 24 ships were hit in the two weeks to October 11, including three refined energy product tankers and two crude oil tankers. "There is a tempo increase in strikes, which looks deliberate," one maritime security source said. Two senior Iranian officials said Tehran has begun using new tactics against vessels it considers in violation of its restrictions. Separately, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported three fishermen were injured when a fishing boat was hit by an unidentified drone near Sirik in Hormozgan province, describing it as a US drone attack; Iranian authorities have not officially confirmed who was responsible.

Before the war, roughly 125 to 140 large commercial vessels, including oil tankers, gas carriers and container ships, transited the 24-mile strait each day. Traffic effectively halted on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched coordinated airstrikes across Iran, and had appeared to be recovering in recent months. Iran has repeatedly warned ships not to pass without its approval, while the US military has been guiding vessels along a route nearer Oman's coast. The GFS Pride is the second vessel to sink since the war began, according to IMO data.

The escalation has pushed oil shipments through the strait sharply lower and carries political consequences in the United States. US fuel prices have risen by almost 70% since the war began, and the Republican party is bracing for losses in the November 3 midterm elections that will decide control of Congress. The Guardian reported the surge in attacks suggests Iran is seeking to fully close the waterway to undercut President Donald Trump's efforts to lower fuel prices, while the administration has sought to blame Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries for higher costs. Whether the US escorts can sustain commercial traffic, and how insurers and shippers respond to the continued attacks, remain key questions.