Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia \u2013 The situation in the Strait of Hormuz is\ndeteriorating amid reports of two oil tankers exploding, declining\nshipping traffic and a surge in global oil prices above US$90 per\nbarrel, whilst Kuwait reported that its water desalination facilities\nhad been attacked for a second consecutive day.<\/p>\n
According to Reuters, the Kuwaiti government stated on Monday\n(20\/7\/2026) that one of its water desalination plants was once again\ntargeted in an attack that triggered a fire. The government described\nthe incident as a direct assault on highly vital civilian\ninfrastructure.<\/p>\n
The latest attack came as concerns grow over the smooth flow of\nglobal energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz. Tensions on the\nstrategic shipping route have flared once more after the United States\nand Iran resumed open confrontation, each accusing the other of\nrepeatedly violating a ceasefire agreement.<\/p>\n
At sea, the British maritime monitoring body, the United Kingdom\nMaritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), reported on Sunday evening that it\nhad received information about a vessel on fire not far from the coast\nof Oman.<\/p>\n
However, UKMTO said it had not yet been able to verify the cause of\nthe fire.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed on\nMonday that two oil tankers suffered explosions and were unable to\ncontinue their voyages after attempting to pass through the southern\nlane of the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran deems an unsafe route.<\/p>\n
The IRGC accused the vessels of using that lane at the urging of the\nUS military.<\/p>\n
In its statement, the Revolutionary Guard did not disclose the\nidentity of the ships, their flags of origin, the number of crew, or\nwhether there were any casualties in the incident.<\/p>\n
Iran insisted that shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz would\nremain dangerous for as long as what it calls American \u201caggression\u201d in\nthe region continues.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis route will not be safe for the transit of petrochemical\nproducts, not even for a single drop of oil and gas,\u201d the Iranian\nRevolutionary Guard said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Data from LSEG shows shipping activity through the Strait of Hormuz\ncontinues to decline. Only four vessels passed through the strait on\nSunday, down from eight the previous day.<\/p>\n
Even so, since Friday at least three tankers carrying oil products\nand one Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) have entered the Strait of\nHormuz to load oil.<\/p>\n
The rising risk to the global energy distribution route has driven\nworld oil prices sharply higher. Oil prices rose around 2% on Monday to\ntrade above US$90 per barrel.<\/p>\n
Amid the escalating conflict, the US military has also reported\nfurther casualties.<\/p>\n
The US military announced on Sunday that one service member was\nkilled on Saturday in northern Iraq, the site of one of America\u2019s\nmilitary bases in the region. The casualty died whilst carrying out a\ncontrolled detonation of debris from an Iranian attack drone that had\npreviously been shot down.<\/p>\n
Earlier, the US military also reported two personnel killed in\nJordan, with another declared missing in action.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it had found\n\u201cunidentified remains\u201d at the site of Friday\u2019s attack.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe process of examining and verifying the identity of those remains\nis still ongoing,\u201d CENTCOM said.<\/p>\n
With the latest casualties reported, the number of American military\npersonnel killed since the war began now stands at 17, whilst more than\n420 others have been wounded.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/two-tankers-explode-in-hormuz-islamic-revolutionary-guard-corps-speaks-out-1784537476", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }