A projectile struck a vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz on September 12-13, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, with the crew’s condition and damage still unknown. Oil flows through the waterway have at times fallen to roughly 2 million barrels per day, a 90% decline from normal throughput, while traffic dropped to as few as 5 to 10 ships on disrupted days from more than 130 before the conflict. Saudi Arabia also temporarily shut its 1,200-kilometer East-West pipeline after a drone attack attributed to Iranian-backed militias operating from Iraq. The pipeline normally carries 4 million to 5 million barrels per day and bypasses the Strait of Hormuz, while Houthi forces seized Yemen’s Perim island in the Bab el-Mandeb. Brent crude rose above $100 per barrel in September 2026, and vessel insurance costs increased as attacks and geopolitical uncertainty disrupted regional shipping. Washington said it would provide Saudi Arabia intelligence support against the Houthis but would not intervene directly for now, while Iran and regional states pursued talks in Oman over the strait’s future. Iranian parliament national security committee chief Ebrahim Azizi said negotiations would have little value until Washington accepted Tehran’s conditions.