Iran says its Revolutionary Guards struck the navigation and communications systems on Didamar Island, a small Omani island that helps guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Three sources confirmed to Reuters on Wednesday that the island systems were attacked, although Oman has disputed the scale of the damage.
Why it matters
The strike, if confirmed in full, would mark a new step in the confrontation around the strait. Didamar Island carries navigation and communications equipment that shipping relies on to pass safely through one of the world busiest waterways. Hitting it would be a direct challenge to the flow of oil and goods through the channel.
The claim comes as the Revolutionary Guards said two oil tankers were disabled by explosions in the strait, and as shipping through Hormuz has nearly stopped. Tanker operators and insurers are watching every incident, and each new claim adds to the risk premium on oil and freight.
What happens next
Oman has not confirmed the Iranian account of the damage, and independent verification of the strike is still limited. The gap between the Iranian claim and the Omani response leaves room for doubt about what actually happened on the island, even as the fact of an attack is now reported by multiple sources.
For now, the strait remains the centre of the crisis. The Abu Dhabi talks have entered a second day and the prisoner exchange is agreed, but neither has stopped the attacks. Until shipping moves freely again, every claim from the strait will move oil prices and unsettle markets.
The Strait of Hormuz carries about a fifth of the world oil liquids, and any threat to navigation through it moves prices within hours. Shipping through the strait has nearly stopped as operators and insurers pull back, and buyers are already looking for alternatives. Oman has long acted as a quiet intermediary in the region, and an attack on its territory is a different matter from an attack on a tanker. How Muscat responds will signal whether the confrontation is widening beyond the waterway itself, and whether the diplomacy in Abu Dhabi can still contain it.
