Iran and U.S. hit tankers in biggest wave of attacks on shipping since war began

CAIRO/WASHINGTON/DUBAI – Iran said on Wednesday it had attacked 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz after the U.S. sank five Iranian oil tankers, in the biggest wave of attacks on shipping by both sides since the start of the six-month-old war. The attacks sent the price of oil surging, with benchmark Brent crude futures breaching $100 a barrel for the first time since July. At least one seafarer aboard a tanker was reported killed and another listed as missing.

The incidents follow a month of relative calm, during which the U.S. has sought to pressure Iran through economic means.