Punjab, Oct. 16 -- A crude tanker carrying 15 Indian seafarers was struck by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday. It is the second ship with an Indian crew hit in nine days. Maritime officials counted 12 vessels attacked in and around the strait between 5 and 11 October - the highest rate since the United States blockaded Iranian ports.
The number that changes the story
Twelve ships in seven days is not a series of incidents. It is a campaign against commercial shipping in the waterway through which most of India's crude arrives, running at close to two vessels a day.
India has been reporting these one at a time: a drone on the MT GEM NO. 2 at Sharjah Anchorage with 22 Indian crew, all safe. Revolutionary Guards claiming three...