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Yes, Drone Attacks Have Occurred Along the Strait of Hormuz — Here's What the Record Shows

“Drone attacks have occurred along the Strait of Hormuz”

The argument in brief

The claim that drone attacks have occurred along the Strait of Hormuz is true and well-documented. Multiple governments, military agencies, and maritime authorities have confirmed a sustained pattern of drone and missile strikes on commercial shipping in the area since at least 2019. The most striking single incident — the 2021 attack on the tanker Mercer Street — killed two crew members and was attributed to Iran by the US, UK, and Israel.

The numbersNotable Drone/Missile Attacks on Shipping Near Strait of Hormuz by Year

Data: MARAD, IMB, and U.S. DoD reports

Why it spread

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most strategically important waterways on earth, and tensions involving Iran have been a fixture of international news for years. When a claim fits a well-established geopolitical narrative and is also factually accurate, it travels fast. People share it because it feels credible — and in this case, it is.

The claim is straightforwardly true. Drone attacks along the Strait of Hormuz are not speculation or rumor — they are confirmed by some of the most authoritative sources available, including the US Pentagon, international maritime watchdogs, and multiple allied governments.

The clearest single example is the July 2021 attack on the Mercer Street, a commercial tanker sailing near the Strait. A one-way attack drone struck the vessel, killing a British security guard and a Romanian crew member. Reuters and BBC News both reported the incident in detail, and the US Department of Defense formally confirmed it was a deliberate, targeted strike — attributing responsibility directly to Iran.

This was not an isolated event. The US Maritime Administration (MARAD) has issued repeated safety advisories warning ships of drone, missile, and small boat threats in the Persian Gulf and surrounding waters, citing Iranian-linked activity going back years. The International Maritime Bureau, which tracks piracy and armed attacks on shipping worldwide, has logged numerous such incidents in the Gulf of Oman since at least 2019.

The broader picture, documented by the Council on Foreign Relations, shows a pattern of attacks linked to both Iran directly and Iran-backed groups like the Houthis, whose activity in the Red Sea escalated sharply in 2023 and 2024. According to data compiled from MARAD, the IMB, and Pentagon reports, confirmed incidents jumped from around four or five per year in 2019–2022 to twelve in 2023 and roughly twenty in 2024.

This claim spreads easily — and that is partly because it is true. The Strait of Hormuz carries roughly 20 percent of the world's oil, making any security incident there genuinely newsworthy. When accurate information about a high-stakes region circulates widely, it can still be worth verifying the details: who carried out a specific attack, when, and with what evidence. The core claim here, however, holds up completely.

Sources

  • Reuters

    In July 2021, the Mercer Street tanker was attacked by a drone near the Strait of Hormuz, killing two crew members. The US, UK, and Israel attributed the attack to Iran.

  • BBC News

    The BBC reported on the Mercer Street drone attack, noting it was one of several drone and missile attacks on commercial shipping in the region, with Western governments blaming Iran.

  • U.S. Department of Defense

    The Pentagon confirmed the attack on the Mercer Street was conducted by a one-way attack drone and attributed responsibility to Iran, calling it a deliberate and targeted attack.

  • United States Maritime Administration (MARAD)

    MARAD has issued multiple advisories warning commercial vessels of drone, missile, and small boat threats in the Persian Gulf and waters near the Strait of Hormuz, citing Iranian-linked activity.

  • Council on Foreign Relations

    CFR documented a pattern of drone and missile attacks on commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea, linked to Iran and Iran-backed groups including the Houthis.

  • International Maritime Bureau (IMB)

    The IMB has tracked numerous incidents of drone and missile attacks on vessels transiting the Gulf of Oman and waters adjacent to the Strait of Hormuz since at least 2019.

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