US Central Command stated that American forces and regional partners have clear control of the Strait of Hormuz, according to 观察者网. The same outlet reported that Iran's Revolutionary Guard said missiles were fired from Iranian islands at vessels involved in an incident in the strait.
Iran said it is reviewing the US position and that its conditions for reopening the strait remain unchanged, 新华网 reported. A separate Chinese report cited Iran asking why Washington would seek Russian help if the strait issue were already settled, arguing the request shows the problem is unresolved.
The practical situation for shipping appears less settled than the control claim suggests. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations recorded a series of attacks on commercial vessels around 11–12 October, including oil tankers, product tankers and a container ship hit by unidentified projectiles, according to the source reporting.
The Financial Times reported that about 24 ships were attacked in the two weeks before 11 October, with multiple tankers involved in strikes around that date. Data from the analytics firm Kpler showed oil flows through the strait briefly fell to roughly 2.9 million barrels per day on 11 October, and the seven-day average volume was down about 43 percent from pre-conflict levels.
The competing accounts leave the strait's status disputed: a military assurance of control on one side, and continuing attacks and reduced tanker traffic on the other.
What to watch next is whether attacks on merchant shipping stop and whether oil transit volumes through the strait recover toward their earlier levels.
