Iran's Revolutionary Guards strike Thai-flagged ship in Strait of Hormuz

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) struck a Thai-flagged vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, the country's Tasnim news agency reported on Friday. Details on casualties or damage were not immediately available. Maritime tracking firm Kpler recorded only eight ships transiting the strait on Thursday, the lowest figure in the past three weeks. The data points to a sharp drop in traffic through one of the world's most critical oil shipping lanes. The Wall Street Journal, citing flight-tracking data and an unnamed source, reported that the United States has dispatched warplanes from bases in Europe to the Middle East. The report did not specify the aircraft type or destination. The strike comes amid an escalation between Washington and Tehran, with the IRGC carrying out attacks on U.S. interests in Gulf states and the U.S. responding with strikes on Iranian territory, according to recent regional reporting. No further details on Friday's incident were immediately available.