US and Iran both claim control of Strait of Hormuz as ships are attacked

The United States and Iran have each claimed control of the Strait of Hormuz while attacks on ships in and near the waterway continue. Al Jazeera and the New York Post reported that October has seen the most ship attacks since the US-Israel war on Iran began on February 28.

The two outlets agree on the broad picture but differ on some details of the attacks and of oil flows through the strait.

What we know

• Al Jazeera reported that the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said at least 12 ships were attacked in the week ending on October 16, and that UKMTO said it was "struggling to accurately report true number of attacks with majority of vessels attacked refusing to report to UKMTO".
• Al Jazeera reported that, of the 12 confirmed attacks, UKMTO said half of the vessels continued to their destination or reached port, one sank, two were disabled, and three were damaged or had an unconfirmed outcome, while the New York Post reported one ship sunk, nine damaged and three crew members injured.
• The New York Post reported that ten of the attacks were in the Strait of Hormuz, one in the Persian Gulf and one in the Gulf of Oman, and that eight of the vessels were oil tankers and four were container ships.
• Al Jazeera reported that US Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Brad Cooper said in a video message late Friday that 400 ships and 100 million barrels of oil moved through the strait over the past week, and that "Let me be clear: The Strait of Hormuz is controlled by the United States and our regional partners, not Iran".
• The New York Post reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned on Saturday that the strait was "closed" and said in a statement: "We maintain full control and intelligence oversight over the area east of the Strait of Hormuz, the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman."
• Al Jazeera reported that oil flows through Hormuz were at 11.6 million barrels per day in the seven days to October 13, according to Kpler figures, while the New York Post reported an average of just under 12 million barrels a day over the same period.

What we don't know yet

• The true number of attacks, because Al Jazeera reported that UKMTO said it knew of more incidents from other sources but could not verify them for lack of information.
• What set a supertanker carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil on fire on Saturday, since the New York Post reported that the IRGC said it struck a mine on an "unauthorized" route while CENTCOM said vessels were being struck by projectiles and that it had demined the strait.
• How many vessels Iran says have been attacked or have passed through the strait, because Al Jazeera reported that Tehran has not given exact figures, though it has said Washington is exaggerating numbers.

Background

Qatar Standard reported in September that the US and Iran were exploring a deal, according to unnamed media sources, to reopen the strait in exchange for Washington lifting its economic blockade of Tehran. Earlier that month, Qatar Standard reported that Oman was hosting a diplomatic meeting on the future governance of the strait.