Iran escalates attacks on Gulf shipping

Iran has stepped up drone and missile strikes on ships in the Strait of Hormuz and beyond, seeking to reassert leverage over the global oil chokepoint despite U.S. military protection.

Captains earn $100,000 monthly plus bonuses

Tanker captains can earn one hundred thousand dollars a month for transiting the strait, plus a fifty thousand dollar bonus for each trip, up from regular pay of about fifteen thousand dollars monthly.

Sailors' earnings multiply four to six times

Sailors typically make at least fifteen hundred dollars a month, but trips through Hormuz can bump up earnings by at least four to six times their normal rates, according to the Financial Times.

Crews described as almost mercenaries

A source told the Financial Times that those brave enough to stomach the near-constant threat of attacks are almost being viewed as mercenaries, though some unwilling crew members are reportedly being pressured to stay onboard.

“almost being viewed as mercenaries”

War has killed 24 sailors, hit 93 ships

Since the Iran war started on February twenty-eighth, at least ninety-three ships have been hit and twenty-four sailors have been killed, according to the International Maritime Organization.

Freight rates hit record one point three million daily

Freight rates for cargoes crossing the Strait of Hormuz hit a record high of one point three million dollars per day, up from last year's daily rate of twenty thousand to fifty thousand dollars.

Iran could destroy oil infrastructure if war persists

Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, founder and CEO of the Bourse and Bazaar Foundation think tank, warned that Iran can still destroy regional oil infrastructure and may escalate if President Donald Trump rejects diplomatic off-ramps.

“Iran did not wage a scorched earth campaign, but it may yet do so if the current situation persists for too long”