<![CDATA[Defcon Alerts Threat Monitor: Mideast]]>

<![CDATA[Defcon Alerts Threat Monitor: Mideast]]>https://www.defconalerts.com/s/mideasthttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0cet!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb46ea7f8-d128-4157-808c-3336340f44ed_250x250.pngDefcon Alerts Threat Monitor: Mideasthttps://www.defconalerts.com/s/mideastSubstackWed, 16 Sep 2026 04:34:41 GMT<![CDATA[Saudi Civil Defense Lifts Abha and Khamis Mushait Alerts After Repeat Warnings]]>https://www.defconalerts.com/p/saudi-civil-defense-lifts-abha-andhttps://www.defconalerts.com/p/saudi-civil-defense-lifts-abha-andMon, 14 Sep 2026 08:21:22 GMTMIDDLE EAST — Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Civil Defense posted all-clear notices for Abha city and Khamis Mushait Governorate at about 4:01 AM UTC on September 14, minutes after the National Early Warning Platform for Emergencies pushed a new potential-danger warning to both locations.

Map credits: Open Street Map, Modified Copernicus Sentinel data.

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The all-clear told residents to keep following Civil Defense instructions, avoid gathering and filming, and call 998 in an emergency.

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]]><![CDATA[Yemeni Air Force Bombs Declared Kill Zone Around Mokha and Dhubab]]>https://www.defconalerts.com/p/yemeni-air-force-bombs-declared-killhttps://www.defconalerts.com/p/yemeni-air-force-bombs-declared-killSun, 13 Sep 2026 15:10:12 GMTYEMEN — Staff Colonel Majid Abdullah Al-Nuzaily, official spokesperson for the internationally recognized Yemeni Armed Forces, said on September 13 that the air force was still destroying Houthi equipment, gatherings, and fighters inside a declared kill zone around the Red Sea port of Mokha and the Dhubab district in western Taiz Governorate.

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A kill zone, also called a kill box in the Aden command’s Arabic statement, is a pre-marked patch of ground set aside for concentrated fire. Al-Nuzaily said the air force had opened that box on September 11 and asked civilians to stay off the Taiz-Mokha road and the Mokha-Dhubab road until a further notice.

]]><![CDATA[Saudi Civil Defense Lifts Shelter Alerts After Houthi Projectile Hits Jazan]]>https://www.defconalerts.com/p/saudi-civil-defense-lifts-shelterhttps://www.defconalerts.com/p/saudi-civil-defense-lifts-shelterSat, 12 Sep 2026 19:37:13 GMTJAZAN, SAUDI ARABIA — The General Directorate of Civil Defense said that on September 12 a projectile launched by Houthi forces struck Al-Tuwal Governorate in the Jazan Region, wounding two people and damaging a mosque plus other buildings and vehicles.

Map credits: Open Street Map, Modified Copernicus Sentinel data

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The same evening, the National Early Warning Platform, the Civil Defense cell-broadcast system that pushes emergency text to phones on licensed mobile networks, issued potential-danger warnings for Abha City and Khamis Mushait Governorate in the Asir Region.

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]]><![CDATA[Government-Aligned Forces Leave Mocha Command Site, Skiff Approach Reported Off Al Mukalla]]>https://www.defconalerts.com/p/government-aligned-forces-leave-mochahttps://www.defconalerts.com/p/government-aligned-forces-leave-mochaThu, 10 Sep 2026 15:24:03 GMTYEMEN — United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), the Royal Navy-run reporting cell for merchant shipping in the Indian Ocean, said at 9:00 a.m. UTC on September 10 that the company security officer of a cargo vessel reported an unidentified skiff approaching the ship 98 nautical miles, about 113 miles (181 kilometers), southwest of Al Mukalla on Yemen’s Gulf of Aden coast.

Map credits: Donald Standeford, Open Street Map, Modified Copernicus Sentinel data

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UKMTO classified the event as suspicious activity under warning 132-26, advised other vessels to transit with caution, and said authorities were investigating.

The warning did not name the ship, flag, closest point of approach, or whether weapons were seen. No later UKMTO warning on the same contact was posted on the recent-incidents ledger as of late September 10.

Maritime Security Centre Horn of Africa (MSCIO) document folders listed UKMTO warnings only through early September and did not carry a 132-26 file.

In a separate land action the same day, Houthi forces, the U.S.-designated Ansar Allah movement that holds Sanaa, entered the Red Sea port city of Mocha in Taiz governorate after days of fighting with units aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognized government.

Lieutenant General Tareq Saleh, vice chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council and commander of the National Resistance on the western coast, said National Resistance, Giants Brigades, Nation’s Shield, and Taiz Axis units had taken deaths and injuries and that he had ordered an alternative command center in a secure location in consultation with the Arab coalition and the council.

He said those forces had paid a heavy price in dead and wounded confronting a Houthi attack he described as planned and supported by Iran.

Saleh’s Camp Says Captured Laptop Held Maps of an IRGC Advance on Bab el-Mandeb

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]]><![CDATA[CENTCOM Strikes Five IRGC Oil Carriers, Cites Missile Attacks on a U.S. Warship]]>https://www.defconalerts.com/p/centcom-strikes-five-irgc-oil-carriershttps://www.defconalerts.com/p/centcom-strikes-five-irgc-oil-carriersWed, 09 Sep 2026 01:12:51 GMTGULF OF OMAN — On September 8, U.S. Central Command said its forces struck five crude oil carriers it identified as belonging to the IRGC after the Guard twice fired ballistic missiles at a U.S. Navy warship over the preceding two days.

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The command said the warship evaded both attacks, stayed on patrol, and that no American personnel were harmed in those ship attacks or the tanker strikes that followed.

It named the carriers as M/T Kaviz, M/T Charminar, M/T Horizon 1, and M/T Riesco in the Gulf of Oman, and M/T Derya near Kharg Island, and said U.S. forces directed the crews to abandon ship before the vessels were struck and rendered inoperable.

U.S. Central Command: “M/T Riesco sinks in the Gulf of Oman, Sept. 8, after being destroyed by CENTCOM forces in response to attempted IRGC attacks on a U.S. Navy warship.”

On September 5, the same command said it had disabled or struck three other carriers, M/T Downy off Kharg Island, M/T Stark 1 near Jask, and M/T Kylo, also called Noxen, in the Gulf of Oman, after ballistic missiles were launched toward a U.S. aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer.

Adm. Brad Cooper, the CENTCOM commander, said then that the United States would answer fire on its ships by imposing a higher cost on Iran’s oil fleet.

Iranian state-run media, citing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, described a ballistic-missile attack on al-Azraq air base in Jordan on the same day as the tanker strikes.

Map credits: Open Street Map, Modified Copernicus Sentinel data

Neither CENTCOM nor the Jordan Armed Forces General Command has said whether anyone was hurt there. CENTCOM’s statement that no personnel were harmed covers the ship attacks and the tanker strikes, and is not a theater-wide casualty report for Jordan.

After the September 8 tanker strikes, the IRGC Navy told crews of oil tankers at or near ports and anchorages in Kuwait and Bahrain to leave their ships at once, and said vessels that remained would be targeted, according to the IRGC Navy warning as quoted by Iranian state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, and as carried by Iranian state-run Tasnim.

On the same evening, Major General Ali Abdollahi, chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, said any attack on Iranian oil tankers would result in the targeting of U.S. bases in the region.

]]><![CDATA[CENTCOM Strikes Three Iranian Tankers and Reports Missile Fire on U.S. Warships]]>https://www.defconalerts.com/p/centcom-strikes-three-iranian-tankershttps://www.defconalerts.com/p/centcom-strikes-three-iranian-tankersSun, 06 Sep 2026 03:50:35 GMTMIDDLE EAST — U.S. Central Command said its forces struck three Iranian crude oil carriers on Sept. 5 after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched ballistic missiles toward two U.S. Navy warships in regional waters.

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The command said an aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer evaded the incoming fire and that no American personnel were harmed.

CENTCOM said it permanently disabled M/T Downy off Kharg Island and M/T Stark 1 near Jask, and that it completely destroyed the unladen M/T Kylo, also called Noxen, in the Gulf of Oman after directing the crew to abandon ship.

Adm. Brad Cooper, the CENTCOM commander, said U.S. forces would impose a higher economic cost if Iranian forces fired on American ships, and that the command would, if necessary, destroy Iran’s oil fleet.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry, in a Sept. 5 statement published by state-run Islamic Republic News Agency, said U.S. attacks on oil tankers anchored in Iranian waters violated Paragraph 4 of Article 2 of the United Nations Charter and called the strikes a war crime.

State-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting said one tanker was hit near Kharg Island with no casualties, and that two tankers were hit near Jask, one carrying oil and one empty, with crews taken to shore in lifeboats.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, in a later Sept. 5 statement published by those same state-run outlets, said it had targeted three oil tankers on what it called an unauthorized Strait of Hormuz route and three U.S.-affiliated vessels in other areas.

CENTCOM has not published a matching account of those later Iranian claims. U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said that if Iran shoots at U.S. ships, the United States will destroy and sink Iranian oil tankers.

The Sept. 5 exchange sits inside a campaign that began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, followed by a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports from April 13, a pause in mid-June, and a resumption on July 14.

CENTCOM said on Sept. 4 that, as of Sept. 3, U.S. forces had redirected 87 commercial vessels, disabled three, and boarded two while enforcing the blockade.

USS Boxer (LHD 4), an amphibious assault ship with more than 2,600 Sailors and Marines embarked, and USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53) were among the ships CENTCOM identified as supporting that enforcement in early September.

Global Threat Assessment

]]><![CDATA[CENTCOM Completes Strikes on IRGC Targets and Missions Warn of Flight Disruptions]]>https://www.defconalerts.com/p/centcom-completes-strikes-on-irgchttps://www.defconalerts.com/p/centcom-completes-strikes-on-irgcTue, 01 Sep 2026 23:34:53 GMTMIDDLE EAST — U.S. Central Command said Tuesday that its forces successfully completed a wave of strikes against Iranian military targets on September 1.

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According to the Command, U.S. forces struck Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets including air defense sites, radar systems, maritime assets and facilities, mine laying capabilities, and communications sites.

CENTCOM had earlier said the strikes began at 12:00 p.m. Eastern, which is 4:00 p.m. UTC. The command repeated that the strikes followed recent attempted IRGC attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and on American service members.

The completion notice said more than 50,000 U.S. service members are currently operating across the Middle East.

In a separate post the same day, before the completion notice, CENTCOM said that as of September 1 U.S. forces enforcing a blockade against Iran had redirected 84 commercial vessels, disabled 3, and boarded 2.

The command identified USS Boxer (LHD 4) in the Arabian Sea on that enforcement mission and separately showed flight operations aboard USS George Washington (CVN 73).

U.S. Mission Saudi Arabia, U.S. Embassy Baghdad and Consulate General Erbil, U.S. Embassy Abu Dhabi, and U.S. Virtual Embassy Iran each posted September 1 security alerts using the same core language: the security environment remains complex with potential for unforeseen escalation, and Americans in the Middle East should exercise heightened vigilance and watch for flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions.

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The Department of State consular account repeated that language the same afternoon and added that Iran and groups supportive of Iran may target U.S. interests and locations associated with the United States worldwide.

Iranian state-run media described explosions on Qeshm Island, east of Bandar Abbas, and in Konarak and Chabahar. CENTCOM’s completion notice named target classes, not those sites. Virtual Embassy Iran told U.S. citizens not to travel to Iran for any reason and to leave Iran now.

Standing Department of State country advisory levels were not rewritten on September 1. Iran and Iraq remain Level 4: Do Not Travel. The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia remain Level 3: Reconsider Travel on their last posted advisory pages.

IRGC Initiates Response, Says America Will Regret The New Attacks

]]><![CDATA[US Begins New Strikes On IRGC Targets In Iran]]>https://www.defconalerts.com/p/us-begins-new-strikes-on-irgc-targetshttps://www.defconalerts.com/p/us-begins-new-strikes-on-irgc-targetsTue, 01 Sep 2026 16:48:52 GMTCENTCOM: “Today at 12 p.m. ET, U.S. forces began striking Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets in Iran. The strikes follow recent attempted attacks by the IRGC against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and against American service members deployed in the region.”

]]><![CDATA[Three Projectiles Hit Tanker East of Khasab, Oman]]>https://www.defconalerts.com/p/three-projectiles-hit-tanker-easthttps://www.defconalerts.com/p/three-projectiles-hit-tanker-eastMon, 31 Aug 2026 23:31:31 GMTSTRAIT OF HORMUZ — The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center, the Royal Navy-sponsored office that records incidents for commercial shipping, said on August 31 that a tanker reported being struck by three unknown projectiles 17 nautical miles, about 20 miles (31 kilometers), east of Khasab, Oman, while finishing an outbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway between Oman and Iran that connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman.

Map credits: Open Street Map, Modified Copernicus Sentinel data

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UKMTO logged the incident as an attack, but the report did not name the tanker, its flag, its owner, or the type of projectile.

UKMTO reported no casualties and no environmental impact, and stated that authorities are investigating and told other ships to transit with caution and to report suspicious activity to the center.

]]><![CDATA[Tanker Incident With Military Forces Off Muscat]]>https://www.defconalerts.com/p/tanker-incident-with-military-forceshttps://www.defconalerts.com/p/tanker-incident-with-military-forcesMon, 31 Aug 2026 21:49:35 GMTINDIAN OCEAN — On August 31 the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) published Advisory 123-26 after a ship’s Captain reported an incident involving a tanker and military forces in the Indian Ocean.

Map credits: Open Street Map, Modified Copernicus Sentinel data

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The report gave no vessel name, flag, International Maritime Organization number, course, or crew status, and no latitude or longitude for the contact.

The accompanying map marks Muscat, Oman, and draws an unmarked circle in the water east of the city. UKMTO categorized the notice as an Advisory, not as a Warning or an Attack.

]]><![CDATA[After Larak Strike, CENTCOM Calls Iran’s Tanker-Mine Story False]]>https://www.defconalerts.com/p/hormuz-contest-shifts-to-mine-claimshttps://www.defconalerts.com/p/hormuz-contest-shifts-to-mine-claimsMon, 31 Aug 2026 20:43:58 GMTMIDDLE EAST — On August 31 U.S. Central Command said an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy claim that a southern-route supertanker struck two mines, caught fire, and stopped in the Strait of Hormuz, “False”.

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The denial followed a 24-hour kinetic exchange that both capitals have now described in official channels. On August 30 the command said U.S. forces struck two IRGC launchers on Iran’s Larak Island after Guard forces were observed preparing to launch rockets carrying sea mines into the strait. CENTCOM said the raid was both limited and precise.

Capt. Tim Hawkins, the command spokesman, said U.S. forces struck two launchers and remained prepared to protect commercial traffic. He also said U.S. forces were monitoring the area closely and remained prepared to protect the free flow of commerce through the waterway.

Iran Claims Civilians And Fighters Killed, Responded By Firing Ballistic Missiles At Air Bases In Jordan

]]><![CDATA[Jordan Intercepts Eight Missiles, Iran Claims Strikes on U.S.-Hosted Bases]]>https://www.defconalerts.com/p/jordan-intercepts-eight-missileshttps://www.defconalerts.com/p/jordan-intercepts-eight-missilesMon, 31 Aug 2026 04:45:40 GMTJORDAN AND STRAIT OF HORMUZ — Jordanian air defenses intercepted eight missiles that entered the kingdom’s airspace at dawn on August 31, the Jordan Armed Forces said, hours after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed ballistic-missile and drone strikes on two air bases in Jordan that host U.S. forces.

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The statement did not name the launch origin, and said the missiles were destroyed before they posed a threat to citizens or property.

]]><![CDATA[CENTCOM Refutes IRGC Claim, Says It Took Limited Precise Action Against IRGC Mine-laying Forces]]>https://www.defconalerts.com/p/centcom-refutes-irgc-claim-says-ithttps://www.defconalerts.com/p/centcom-refutes-irgc-claim-says-itMon, 31 Aug 2026 01:09:07 GMTMIDDLE EAST — U.S. Central Command has refuted the claim by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that strikes by the United States were an “act of aggression”, stating that the U.S. took limited, precise action against IRGC mine-laying forces that posed an imminent threat to civilian mariners, commercial shipping and the free flow of global commerce…

]]><![CDATA[IRGC: U.S. Forces Struck Larak Island, Revolutionary Guard Says It Will Punish Attacker]]>https://www.defconalerts.com/p/irgc-us-forces-strike-larak-islandhttps://www.defconalerts.com/p/irgc-us-forces-strike-larak-islandSun, 30 Aug 2026 22:02:54 GMTLARAK ISLAND, STRAIT OF HORMUZ — Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said a United States attack struck Larak Island in Hormozgan Province on Sunday night and caused deaths and injuries among fighters and civilians.

Map credits: Open Street Map, Modified Copernicus Sentinel data

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The Guard’s public-relations office, speaking through Sepah News, said the attack on the island would be answered and that the attacker would be punished.

]]><![CDATA[Unknown Projectile Hits Inbound Tanker Off Oman as Hormuz Talks Stay Conditional]]>https://www.defconalerts.com/p/unknown-projectile-hits-inbound-tankerhttps://www.defconalerts.com/p/unknown-projectile-hits-inbound-tankerSun, 30 Aug 2026 21:10:55 GMTSTRAIT OF HORMUZ — The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center said on August 30 that it had received a delayed account of a tanker being struck by an unknown projectile at 8:53 PM UTC on August 29, 13.8 miles (22.2 km) north of Khasab, Oman, while sailing inbound through the Strait of Hormuz.

Map credits: Open Street Map, Modified Copernicus Sentinel data

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UKMTO Warning 122-26, sourced to military authorities and listed as an attack, stated that no casualties and no environmental impact had been reported. The warning did not name the ship, flag, owner, or the type of projectile. Authorities are investigating.

The Joint Maritime Information Center issued Update 091 through UKMTO, covering the period from March 1 to August 30, with an information cutoff at 3:00 PM UTC on August 30.

The statement confirmed that no maritime security incidents had been recorded since the previous update. It also reported that no attacks or disruptions were confirmed in the Arabian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, or the Gulf of Oman during the past 72 hours.

The information cutoff preceded UKMTO’s delayed publication of the August 29 account. In Update 091, the Joint Maritime Information Center assessed the Arabian Gulf as MODERATE, the Strait of Hormuz as SEVERE, and the Gulf of Oman as MODERATE.

Iran Ties Hormuz Opening to Sanctions Relief and an End to the Blockade as Cooper Says Lanes Are Clear

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]]><![CDATA[U.S. Central Command Update On Ongoing Operations In Middle East]]>https://www.defconalerts.com/p/us-central-command-update-on-ongoinghttps://www.defconalerts.com/p/us-central-command-update-on-ongoingFri, 28 Aug 2026 01:58:34 GMTMIDDLE EAST — Update from commander of U.S. Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper on ongoing U.S. operations in the Middle East.

]]><![CDATA[Oil Tanker Struck and Disabled Off Oman's Musandam Coast]]>https://www.defconalerts.com/p/ukmto-reports-oil-tanker-struck-andhttps://www.defconalerts.com/p/ukmto-reports-oil-tanker-struck-andMon, 24 Aug 2026 23:02:35 GMTGULF OF OMAN — The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center issued Warning 120-26 after the master of an oil tanker reported the ship struck by an unknown projectile 9 nautical miles (10 miles, 17 kilometers) northeast of Ash Shishah, Oman.

Map credits: Open Street Map, Modified Copernicus Sentinel data

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UKMTO logged the report at 8:25 p.m. UTC on August 24 and classified the event as an attack. The master said the projectile damaged the engine room and left the tanker unable to proceed. UKMTO said the crew was reported safe and that environmental impact was unknown in the initial warning.

The stated position sits on the eastern face of Oman’s Musandam Peninsula, on the Gulf of Oman approach to the Strait of Hormuz.

Map credits: Open Street Map, Modified Copernicus Sentinel data

The Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC), in an advisory issued August 23 with information current to 3:00 p.m. UTC that day, rated the strait SEVERE and recorded no confirmed attacks in the prior 48 hours. Warning 120-26 is the first UKMTO attack product on that corridor after that cutoff.

In a separate incident the same calendar day, UKMTO Warning 119-26 said a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile 63 nautical miles (72 miles, 117 kilometers) west of Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, with a fire on the main deck. That event is in the Red Sea, not the Gulf of Oman.

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]]><![CDATA[Treasury Opens Operation Economic Outcast, U.S. Forces Redirect 71 Vessels, Projectile Hits Saudi Tanker Off Yanbu]]>https://www.defconalerts.com/p/treasury-opens-operation-economichttps://www.defconalerts.com/p/treasury-opens-operation-economicMon, 24 Aug 2026 21:59:36 GMTWASHINGTON — On August 24 U.S. Central Command released a statement saying that its forces have redirected 71 commercial vessels, disabled 3, and boarded 2 while enforcing the blockade of Iranian ports. According to the statement over 40 vessels supporting humanitarian aid have been allowed to pass.

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U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that day the Treasury had initiated Operation Economic Outcast against Iran and entities supporting it.

An Office of Foreign Assets Control recent-actions notice posted on August 24 records Iran-related designations and an Executive Order 13902 determination covering aviation, digital assets, gold, shipping, and technology.

Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority said the same week that vessels violating Iranian protocols for the Strait of Hormuz shall face restrictions on future passages, including fines, detention, or confiscation, and published a non-compliant vessels list.

On August 22, Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, stated that the Strait of Hormuz is closed and will not reopen until the United States changes its behavior.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins said that non-Iranian oil is still moving the strait under U.S. Navy support.

Also on August 24, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) posted a company-security report of a tanker struck by an unknown projectile 63 nautical miles, or 72 miles (117 km), west of Yanbu, with a main-deck fire. The warning said all crew were safe and that no environmental impact had been recorded.

Map credits: Open Street Map, Modified Copernicus Sentinel data

The National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia, Bahri, later identified the ship as the Saudi-flagged crude tanker Amzan (IMO 9693745) and stated that the vessel was involved in a security-related incident in the Red Sea the same day, with all crew safe and no injuries listed.

]]><![CDATA[Projectile Strike Confirmed on Tanker 63 NM West of Yanbu]]>https://www.defconalerts.com/p/projectile-strike-confirmed-on-tankerhttps://www.defconalerts.com/p/projectile-strike-confirmed-on-tankerMon, 24 Aug 2026 08:38:13 GMTYANBU, SAUDI ARABIA — A tanker was struck by an unknown projectile 63 nautical miles west of Yanbu on August 24, producing a fire on the main deck.

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All crew members were accounted for and safe. No environmental impact was reported. Vessels were advised to transit the area with caution and report any suspicious activity.

The location lies in the northern Red Sea, within Saudi waters near the kingdom’s principal Red Sea crude-export terminal.

Map credits: Open Street Map, Modified Copernicus Sentinel data

The incident follows the Houthi-declared maritime blockade of Saudi ports that began July 20 and a series of earlier projectile strikes on Saudi-linked tankers in the same theater, including the August 5 Houthi claim of a strike on the Saudi-flagged NCC Wafa off Yanbu.

No claim of responsibility has been issued by any party as of 8:15 a.m. UTC August 24. No statement from Saudi authorities, the vessel’s flag state, or the reporting Company Security Officer identifying the tanker had been released at that time.

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]]><![CDATA[Tanker Hijack in Gulf of Aden as U.S. Forces Enforce Iran Blockade and Issue New Sanctions]]>https://www.defconalerts.com/p/tanker-hijack-in-gulf-of-aden-ashttps://www.defconalerts.com/p/tanker-hijack-in-gulf-of-aden-asThu, 20 Aug 2026 22:08:12 GMTGULF OF ADEN — Six armed persons boarded the tanker Seamull, also known as SIBU 1, 136 nautical miles east of Al Mukalla, Yemen, and redirected the vessel toward Somalia.

Map credits: Open Street Map, Modified Copernicus Sentinel data.

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The tanker broadcasted a distress call on VHF 16 after an unauthorized vessel approached while the ship traveled west in the Gulf of Aden. Authorities are investigating.

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