Iran intensifies attacks on ships in the Strait as Trump appears to buy time At least 10 commercial vessels were attacked in the space of just three days. Looking at the past two weeks, at least 23 or 24 ships have been hit by projectiles or cargo drones in the region. Other vessels, including the GFS Giselle, Alfonso and Al-Saadiyat, were also targeted recently. The sinking of the Singapore-flagged container ship GFS Pride, and the overall situation in the Strait of Hormuz, have reached a critical point. This is no longer what we saw weeks or months ago, with ships drifting or isolated fires. The attacks are now stronger and sending large vessels to the bottom. The most recent case, the GFS Pride, sank leaving a large number of containers floating adrift in the Strait of Hormuz. The regional hydrographic service issued urgent alerts for all seafarers and merchant ships to heighten vigilance and avoid collisions with the floating cargo. The standing order appears to be to open fire. While international agencies and Singaporean authorities state that the ship sank after catching fire from the impact of an unidentified projectile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claims the vessel went down after striking a naval mine, after allegedly using an illegal and dangerous route. Although further increases have not yet materialised, maritime insurance costs in the region are expected to rise. The GFS Pride had capacity for 2,824 containers. Its loss, together with damage to another Singaporean vessel the same day, the GFS Giselle, is likely to lead more fleets to avoid the passage. Once again, in response to the sinking and the rise in attacks in the Strait, US military forces have expanded monitoring operations and air coverage in the area. The American government has stated it will not tolerate disruption to global trade, with President Donald Trump indicating that decisions on new strikes against Iranian positions and those of its allies should come very soon. Tehran authorities, for their part, have adopted an aggressive posture and are threatening to intensify attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz even further. The Iranian government has openly declared that the naval actions are direct retaliation for the blockade of its ports and the severe economic sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies. Clearly, the war continues today largely as a financial question. Who pays the bill for Iran’s reconstruction? Iran is obviously negotiating the figures, but the bill sits with the GCC, which is asking what Trump will contribute, given that he and Netanyahu caused the conflict. Trump’s mentality of wanting only to profit and profit again seems to irritate the region’s monarchies considerably. Read more: global21.substack.com/p/iran…