Gulf oil exporters have increasingly used workarounds such as ship-to-ship transfers off the coasts of Oman and the United Arab Emirates to maintain oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz

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Atlantic Council fellow Akeel Abbas stated that Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi used the Jurf al-Nasr smuggling crackdown to cut financial lifelines and force militia disarmament

Military spokesperson Sabah al-Numan said the nine officials dismissed by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi included local security and intelligence officers, an Interior Ministry commander, and the Oil Pipelines Company director

The United States government sanctioned Iraqi officials and entities accused of blending Iraqi and Iranian oil to assist Tehran in evading international trade sanctions

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi referred all individuals accused of involvement in the Jurf al-Nasr oil smuggling scheme to the Iraqi judiciary on November 14, 2026

The United States government accused Iraqi armed groups of involvement in oil smuggling

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi formed an investigating committee under the Popular Mobilization Forces on November 12, 2026, to inspect suspected fuel smuggling in Jurf al-Nasr

The United States military stated that U.S. forces have cleared the main maritime transit routes through the Strait of Hormuz of sea mines

On September 5, 2026, the United States destroyed three Iranian oil tankers following attempted missile attacks on U.S. naval vessels in the Strait of Hormuz

The United States military established a naval blockade on Iranian ports and provides military support to commercial tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz

On November 13, 2026, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy reported that two oil tankers, one a supertanker, exploded and caught fire after striking sea mines during unauthorized Strait of Hormuz transit with positioning systems deactivated

In the weeks preceding November 14, 2026, Iranian armed forces reported several ship fires and explosions in the Strait of Hormuz, attributing multiple incidents to naval mines

On November 13, 2026, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps released video footage showing smoke rising from a liquefied gas vessel that allegedly struck a mine in the southern Strait of Hormuz

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed that a liquefied gas carrier suffered a major explosion after striking a naval mine in the Strait of Hormuz

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The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps released footage, showing a large plume of smoke from a liquefied gas vessel reportedly struck by a mine

The International Maritime Organization recorded 136 maritime security incidents in the Strait of Hormuz and wider Middle East between March 1 and November 11, 2026, peaking at 35 in October 2026

Iran's navy warned via state broadcaster IRIB that any unauthorized tanker traveling in the restricted zone east of the Strait of Hormuz will be set on fire by hitting naval mines

Iranian officials stated the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed to unauthorized ships until the United States ends its naval blockade of Iranian ports, lifts sanctions, unfreezes funds, and stops fighting

The United States military stated that it cleared primary shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz of naval mines and that the waterway remains open for commercial shipping

United Nations Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari stated that disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz are raising global energy, transport, and insurance costs while threatening food security

Iran's conventional navy reported that a third oil tanker with tracking systems turned off was forced to stop after striking a mine east of the Strait of Hormuz on November 14, 2026