Fresh reporting adds detail to three threads we have been tracking: the strike on an Iranian tanker off Kharg, the widening gap between Washington's flow claims and independent shipping data, and Tehran's mining of the corridor.

Anadolu, citing Iran's Student News Agency, says a US missile struck a "small" Iranian oil tanker near Kharg Island on Saturday, with no casualties reported [1]. That is a second Iranian outlet backing the account Tasnim carried earlier; CENTCOM has still not confirmed it, so it remains an Iranian media claim rather than an acknowledged US action. Anadolu notes Kharg handles roughly 90 to 95 per cent of Iran's crude exports, and that the US-Iran memorandum of understanding on Hormuz navigation signed on 18 June has stalled over security arrangements in the strait [1].

On flows, Vice President JD Vance said at Thursday's White House briefing that the US escorted about 15 million barrels through the strait on Wednesday, against roughly 20 million before the war, and that Washington will not resume talks with Tehran while it keeps firing on commercial ships. "Everything that could happen is on the table," he said, including economic, military, diplomatic and covert pressure [2] [5]. Independent trackers tell a different story: Lloyd's List Intelligence counted 102 transits last week and 126 the week before, versus 130 or more per day prewar; TankerTrackers.com put the past 28 days at about 5 million barrels a day; Kpler has generally seen 4 to 6 million barrels a day and counted only four commodity vessels on Thursday [2] [4]. Brent ended the week near $94.77, up 7.6 per cent, WTI at $90.34, up 8.3 per cent, and US diesel at a record $5.85 a gallon [6] [5].

Two corridor-security items are new. UKMTO reported on Tuesday that a tanker was struck by three unknown projectiles while exiting the strait off Oman, which may be the same incident UKMTO logged east of Musandam late Monday or a second one [6]. Iran also said during the week that it had laid additional naval mines in the strait and that tankers using what it called unauthorised routes had struck them; the IRGC said its attacks had "further tightened the lock" on Hormuz. Both are Iranian claims with no independent confirmation [6].

The New York Times, as reported by the Jerusalem Post, says US intelligence now expects Iran to target more ships in the strait and US regional infrastructure while sustaining cyber pressure, with officials linking Iran-linked hackers to intrusions at more than 100 US water systems in July [3]. Vance separately confirmed that Iran and Oman have discussed a phased approach to jointly managing ship traffic [2].