Iran hits Hormuz tanker with limpet mines in apparent tactical shift

Iranians in a small speedboat have attacked a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz by attaching limpet mines to the hull for the first time since 2019, suggesting a change in tactics by Tehran as it confronts the threat of fresh US and Israeli military strikes.

The Louise 1, a Dubai-owned tanker, was transiting the contested waterway when it was approached by a small craft at about 10.15pm local time on Thursday night, according to reports from two maritime security companies and UK Maritime Trade Operations.

Such explosive devices are known as limpet mines, after the limpet shellfish that cling to rocks on the seashore. Three marine security directors told the FT that this was the first time limpet mines had been used against shipping in the Middle East since June 2019, when a Japanese ship and a Norwegian one were attacked with limpet mines in the Gulf of Oman.

Read more: Financial Times