Iran strikes US-contracted ship with American personnel on board: report

WASHINGTON — Iran attacked a US-contracted ship with Americans on board this week, according to a report — heightening tensions in the Middle East , with President Trump predicting the conflict won’t end until after the Nov. 3 midterm elections . Fox News reported that the attack near the Strait of Hormuz featured four Iranian drones and at least one missile. Minor injuries were reported. Iranians walk past an anti-US billboard on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, in Tehran, Iran. ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH/EPA/Shutterstock The report did not specify whether the US personnel were private-sector or government employees or identify the vessel or its cargo. Explore More Duct-tape plane passenger breaks silence — and gives unbelievable excuse for midflight meltdown Heartbreaking moment seasoned NBC star bursts into tears on scene of fatal LA helicopter crash Cops examining over 1M images taken from Philly house of horrors as fifth missing woman is ID’d The US military has supported commercial ships seeking to transit the shipping bottleneck, which Iran has sought to assert control over, leading to the breakdown of a tentative peace deal in July. A commercial vessel is anchored off Yemen’s coast at Bab al-Mandeb on Saturday, September 12, 2026. Yemen’s Houthis took over the Red Sea island of Mayyun on September 11, 2026, completing their push to control the Bab al-Mandeb shipping lane. AFP via Getty Images The development emerged days after Yemen’s Iran-allied Houthi movement seized control of strategically important islands at the mouth of the Red Sea, causing oil prices to spike on fears that that shipping lane too might be affected by the US-Iran war. The Pentagon and White House referred requests for comment to US Central Command, which declined to comment.