For today's updates for the Strait of Hormuz, Bab-el-Mandab Strait, Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.........plus a skirmish off Bandar Abbas and a wider humanitarian crisis looming due to choking the Strait of Hormuz....and a place to stay offered to Iran's footballers
It will not have escaped many people's notice that several skirmishes within the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on land targets within Iran have been going on overnight. Several fast boats operated by Iran were fired upon by USN who have accused Iran of laying more mines within the Strait. Attacks by the USN were also aimed at various sites tween Bandar Abbas and Jask said to be missile launching areas.
“Targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines. US Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire,” US Central Command spokesman Timothy Hawkins was quoted as saying by CNN.
The missile strikes were reported to have targeted an area near the port city of Bandar Abbas where an Iranian naval base is located.
Iran has previously claimed to have mined the Strait of Hormuz in area that includes the normal traffic separation scheme for commercial shipping although the presence of mines has not been confirmed.
The latest US strikes come as peace talks between the US and Iran are reported to be progressing around a Memorandum of Understanding which would extend the ceasefire for another 60 days and a re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz, although the two sides have differed on how close they are to an agreement.
More on this :
US strikes Iranian boats attempting to lay mines - The US says the attacks on missile sites and boats in southern Iran were in “self-defense” (Seatrade Maritime - May 26, 2026)
The ongoing hostilities have caused a growing humanitarian crisis in countries such as Sudan where a dependency of not just oil but fertiliser too. Every country that uses fertilisers have had supply issues since the hostilities began, most can weather the delays and price increases but many cannot. Sudan, which is also going through its own hostilities, is now becoming desperate for fertiliser which has become too expensive for many farmers to buy. Sudan is not alone in this, there are many nations who were below the poverty line before the hostilities who are now experiencing very real humanitarian issues that will last much longer than the hostilities in the Gulf region...
Farmers across Sudan say the hike in global fuel and fertilizer costs resulting from the Iran conflict will force them to cut back on planting this summer, restricting food production in a country where war has caused acute hunger.
Eight farmers from different parts of Sudan, as well as experts working in the sector, told Reuters that fuel and fertilizer price increases would compound problems caused by a civil war, hitting staple domestic crops such as sorghum and millet as well as exports like sesame.
Sudan is particularly vulnerable to the fallout from the Iran crisis as it relies on the Gulf for more than half of its fertilizer needs, according to UN data, while the war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has left it entirely dependent on fuel imports.
More on this :
Iran war poses new threat to harvests in hunger-stricken Sudan (Arab News Saudi Arabia - May 25, 2026)
Onto the upcoming football.....the Iranian team have been refused permission to stay in the US during their games, despite assurances just a few weeks ago that they would be welcome. However Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has said that the team will be more than welcome to stay in Mexico for the duration of their participation
Sheinbaum said football's governing body Fifa approached her government after the US said it did not want Iran's squad to stay in the country throughout the tournament, despite Iran playing all three of its group matches there.
"We have no reason to deny them the possibility of staying in Mexico," Sheinbaum said during her daily press conference.
More on this :
Mexico to host Iran's World Cup team after US refusal, president says (Khaleej Times - May 25, 2025)
So onto the Strait of Hormuz and Bab-el-Mandab Strait....
All quiet in the Strait of Hormuz this morning, at time of writing there are no reported incidents
Fairly quiet on the Bab-el-Mandab Strait also this morning, again no reported incidents
Persian Gulf ports and anchorages from Umm Qasr to Doha....a noticeable shift for the shipping towards the Saudi and Kuwaiti coastlines and away from the Iranian coast. Iranian herders are out in force today
The area from Mina Saqr to Dubai has really changed significantly with smaller huddles of ships, vast open areas on the main anchorages (possibly ships gone dark to avoid being hit again)......the Iranian herders again are out in force
Again the same thing is clear to see outside of the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf of Oman. The main anchorages and ports are very quiet, with ships moving about tween Sohar and Muscat, with Muscat itself becoming quite congested. Not so much evidence of Iranian herders but certainly a change in the way that ships are positioning
That's it for now...back tomorrow