Iran hits US drone in Hormuz Strait, US blockade diverts 96 vessels

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Merchant ships belonging to Iran and other countries remain at anchor in the Strait of Hormuz in Bandar Abbas, Iran, September 10, 2026. /VCG

Iran said on Thursday it had targeted a US drone in the Strait of Hormuz, while the United States said its naval blockade against Iran had redirected 96 commercial vessels, as maritime escalations drove the price of crude oil to a record high since May.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Thursday that its naval forces had targeted a US unmanned surface vehicle (USV) in the Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement published on its official news outlet Sepah News, the IRGC said the Saildrone Explorer-type USV was on an "aggressive mission" and was struck at the strait's entrance.

Saildrone Explorer USVs were previously used in the region by the US Fifth Fleet and Task Force 59 headquartered in Bahrain, the IRGC said, adding that the US naval base in Bahrain had been targeted in Iranian strikes and the USVs are now used by a unit based in Khasab in Oman.

The IRGC repeated that the Strait of Hormuz is closed and under its control, warning that "any hostile presence in the strategic waterway will be targeted."

The US government announced new sanctions on Thursday against firms and individuals that it says are ‌aiding Hezbollah and other Iran proxies in the ⁠Middle East as it intensified its campaign to isolate Iran economically.

The latest sanctions are part of the US Treasury Department's "Operation Economic Outcast," announced August 24. Iran condemned the campaign as "economic terrorism."

The new sanctions ⁠did not target the Houthis, who seized control of Yemen's port ⁠city of Mocha on Thursday and advanced down the Red Sea coast, gaining further leverage over the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the ​southern outlet of the Red Sea and one of ​the world's most important shipping routes.

Also on Thursday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement that US forces had redirected 96 commercial vessels as part of its naval blockade operation against Iran as of September 10.

CENTCOM added that it had allowed the passage of more than 50 vessels supporting humanitarian aid.

Vessel ​transits at the Strait ‌of ⁠Hormuz fell to seven ‌on ‌Thursday from 11 ‌the previous day, ‌preliminary ship-tracking data showed on ⁠Friday, ‌well below the 10-day average of 15.

Of ‌the seven, ​two vessels exited and five entered, according to the data.

The ⁠figures exclude ⁠any ⁠vessels that might ​have ​crossed ‌the strait with their ‌Automatic Identification ⁠System transponders turned off to ⁠avoid detection.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said in an advisory on Thursday that the threat level in the Strait of Hormuz still rated "severe" as the maritime security situation in the Middle East remains tense.

The UKMTO advisory said that under the current security conditions, the likelihood of attacks on vessels remains high.

A sign displays unleaded gasoline and diesel fuel prices at a Shell gas station in San Jose, California, US, September 10, 2026. /VCG

Oil prices ⁠jumped more than 6% on Thursday, with both major US benchmarks trading at over $100 a barrel as the biggest spike in attacks on shipping since the Iran war began fed worries among traders about further disruptions to already tight ‌supplies.

Brent crude futures settled up $6.42, or 6.34%, at $107.63 a ‌barrel. US oil topped $100 a barrel for the first time since May ‌as West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose $6.43, or 6.69%, to $102.48.

Both benchmarks hit their highest since May 19 and ‌recorded their steepest increases in nearly two months.

Now in its seventh month, the Iran war has dragged into a battle of attrition punctuated by attacks on ⁠oil tankers that is also spreading to neighboring countries in the Middle East.

Yemen's Houthi group said Thursday that international shipping through the Red Sea and the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait remained safe, seeking to ease concerns after its forces seized the strategic Red Sea port city of Mocha on Yemen's western coast.

Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the group's spokesperson, said in a statement posted on social media platform X that freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab remained "safe and regular," insisting that the group's operations posed "no threat" to international shipping.

Abdul-Salam said the group's ongoing military operations had specific targets and were "defensive" in nature, without providing further details.

Houthi forces seized Mocha in southwestern Taiz province and the strategic Hanish Islands in the Red Sea earlier Thursday, forcing government forces to retreat southward and pushing the front line closer to the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

He didn't mention the group's maritime ban on Saudi shipping, which was announced on July 20. The Houthis have claimed a series of attacks on Saudi tankers since launching the naval blockade.

The Bab al-Mandab Strait, which connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, is a major route for international trade and energy shipments. Mocha lies about 70 km north of the strait's narrowest point.

UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg on Thursday warned that the renewed war in Yemen risks dragging the country into wider and unresolved regional confrontation with global repercussions.

"As of right now, they have gained control of Mokha, giving them a direct presence on the approaches to one of the world's most vital straits, although fighting is ongoing and the situation remains fluid," he said via a video link. "This development is raising serious concerns within the international community about the threat to freedom of navigation."

The UN envoy asked all parties to keep channels of engagement open, and to preserve the pathway to a political settlement.