Iran has undertaken a military campaign centered on striking oil tankers, production facilities, and storage sites across the Gulf region, employing international oil prices as a strategic hostage. Despite the United States' announcement on removing mines in the Strait of Hormuz and targeting Iranian ports, the upward pressure on oil prices persists. The situation escalated on the 11th when two oil tankers near Basra, Iraq, came under Iranian attack, resulting in a fire and the death of a crew member, as initially reported by Reuters and AFP. Preliminary investigations indicated that the ships, flagged by the Marshall Islands and Malta, were assaulted by an Iranian boat laden with explosives, leading to a halt in operations at all oil terminals within the vicinity of Basra.