PDB Afternoon Bulletin | March 11th, 2026: Chaos In The Strait Of Hormuz & Moscow’s Advice To Iran
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
It's Wednesday, the 11th of March. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, the Strait of Hormuz is turning into a war zone. Several cargo ships are struck by projectiles as Iran ramps up attacks on commercial shipping in the narrow waterway. Later in the show, new reporting raises fresh questions about Russia's role in the conflict, as intelligence sources say Moscow may be advising Iran on drone tactics. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. The Strait of Hormuz is rapidly becoming one of the most impactful flashpoints in the war with Iran. And today, the chaos in that narrow stretch of water escalated yet again.
According to maritime authorities, at least three commercial vessels were struck by projectiles near the strait on Wednesday. One bulk carrier was hit roughly 50 nautical miles northwest of Dubai. Another cargo ship caught fire after being struck near Oman's Musandam Peninsula, forcing the crew to abandon the vessel. And a third cargo ship reported damage off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. All told, maritime officials now say 13 vessels have been attacked in the Persian Gulf region since the current round of fighting began on the 28th of February. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, has already claimed responsibility for today's attacks. Oh, well, nice of them to clear that up.
According to Iranian state-linked media, the IRGC says it fired on a Thai-flagged bulk carrier called the Mayuri Neri and a Liberian-flagged vessel named Express Rome after the ships allegedly ignored warnings from Iranian naval forces. Now, the message from Tehran is becoming increasingly clear. Iran intends to turn the Strait of Hormuz into a battlefield. Now, we already know how critical this strait is for global energy trade.
What is happening in the Strait of Hormuz?
What's worth focusing on today is the geography, because the geography is what makes the waterways so vulnerable. At its narrowest point, the Strait of Hormuz is only about 21 miles across, but the actual shipping lanes used by tankers, well, they're far smaller, just a couple of miles wide in each direction, separated by a narrow buffer zone. That means hundreds of massive commercial vessels are funneled through an extremely tight corridor every day. And critically, much of the northern shoreline of that corridor belongs to Iran. And that gives Tehran a significant tactical advantage. For years, Iranian military planners have studied how to disrupt traffic through the strait using asymmetric tactics, everything from fast attack boats and anti-ship missiles to drones and naval mines.
And that last weapon, mines, may be the real concern right now. A recent report from the U.S. Congress estimates that Iran possesses somewhere between 5,000 and 6,000 naval mines. But Iran doesn't need to lay thousands of mines. Even a relatively small number of them in the narrow shipping lanes of the Strait could create a serious disruption. Clearing mined waters is a slow and painstaking process that can take days or even weeks. And that helps explain why the U.S. is already taking aggressive action. U.S. Central Command confirmed this week that American forces sank 16 Iranian vessels believed to be capable of laying naval mines near the Strait of Hormuz. But here's the important point. Iran doesn't need to formally close the strait completely to achieve its goals.
Commercial shipping companies rely heavily on insurance to operate in conflict zones. If insurers determine that the risk has become too great, or if ship crews begin refusing to sail through the region, tanker traffic will grind to a halt, even if the strait technically remains open. In other words, a handful of well-timed attacks could have an outsized impact on the global energy market, and that is what we're seeing currently. And it's worth noting that the vessels targeted so far have not been American warships. They've been commercial cargo ships flying flags from countries all over the world.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:12–2:03
2
What is happening in the Strait of Hormuz?
2:03–4:12
3
How are recent attacks impacting commercial shipping?
4:12–6:56
4
How many vessels have been attacked in the Persian Gulf?
6:56–8:32
5
Why is the geography of the Strait of Hormuz significant?
8:32–13:14
6
What asymmetric tactics has Iran developed for the Strait?
13:14–14:46
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from The President's Daily Brief
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