Updated

October 2026 recorded the highest number of ship attacks on record in the Strait of Hormuz and nearby waterways, according to a Washington-based think tank, as the US naval blockade of Iran continues. The US Ambassador to the UN said Washington can sustain the blockade for the "foreseeable future" even as it pursues a diplomatic solution, and Iran International reported that Iran's sanctions-evasion network of middlemen and shadow-fleet tankers remains intact but has run out of oil to move to China, with Chinese imports recorded as "Malaysian" oil collapsing alongside Iran's exports. Gulf oil spills have grown more frequent since the war began on February 28, 2026, according to Al-Monitor, as the UAE battles a tanker spill. Iran's central bank governor said the country's reserves can sustain imports beyond President Trump's term despite the pressure campaign, and separately reported that inflation, which had accelerated sharply after an earlier 40-day war, eased in the three months to September. Tehran Times also published an analysis arguing the US blockade violates the UN Charter and constitutes an illegal act of coercion.