Just now! Iran launches a fierce attack!

Weekend, the situation in Iran still hasn’t cooled down!

Just now, Iran launched the 95th round of “True Promise-4.” Multiple U.S. bases in the Middle East were reportedly attacked, and many places in Israel were also hit hard by Iran’s “Kader” missiles. In addition, a ship associated with Israel was struck by an Iranian drone.

Meanwhile, new reports have also emerged from the Strait of Hormuz. Maritime intelligence firm Windward and UNCTAD (the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development) said that the number of vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz has begun to increase.

In addition, a letter jointly signed by the finance ministers of five EU countries to the European Commission shows that the five ministers are calling for windfall taxes on energy companies in order to respond to fuel price increases caused by the Iran conflict.

Also, according to reports from foreign media, the Indian Ministry of Petroleum said recently that, to deal with the current energy crisis, the country is purchasing crude oil from Iran and other countries and has not encountered payment obstacles. This statement—rarely—openly acknowledges India’s energy ties with Iran. Because the United States imposed sanctions, India had once stopped buying Iranian oil. But after the Iran war broke out and Washington later made an exception for Iran’s crude oil network at sea, India and Iran began restoring energy ties.

Iran launches the 95th round of operations

According to CCTV News, on April 4 local time, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a statement saying that earlier that morning, the IRGC Navy and its aerospace forces used “Hajji Qassem,” “Hezbollah Shekan,” and “Kader” missiles to carry out the 95th round of “True Promise-4” strikes against the West Asia region and Israel.

The statement said that, in this operation, the U.S. “HIMARS” rocket artillery system based in Bubiyan Island in Kuwait, the U.S. “Patriot” missile system in northern Bahrain, the U.S. Navy “Mk” missile launch array, the assembly areas of senior U.S. command officers and instructors in the Zaafrā region of the UAE, and the U.S. artificial intelligence technology company “Oracle” located in the UAE were all listed as targets and were destroyed.

The statement also said that an Iran naval operation strongly struck a merchant ship owned by Israel that was flying a third-country flag at Salman Port in Bahrain.

At the same time, Israel’s Benyamin Netanyahu, Petah Tikva, Petah Tikva, Ramat Gan, and Kiryat Shmona continued to be hit hard by Iran’s “Kader” missiles.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran said that this round of operations is still ongoing.

Also, according to Iranian media on the 4th, Iran’s Minister of Science, Hussein Seyme Saleh, said that 30 Iranian universities have already been directly attacked, and that 5 university professors and more than 60 university students were killed in attacks carried out by the United States and Israel against Iran.

Speaking at Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran, Iran’s capital, Saleh said that attacking infrastructure is “crimes against humanity.” “In the 21st century, it is unbelievably difficult to accept attacks on civilian places, civilians, scientific research, and humanistic infrastructure—the enemy has already retreated to the Stone Age.”

Strait of Hormuz: the number of transiting vessels rebounds

Earlier, Windward and UNCTAD said that the number of ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz has begun to increase, but that the overall transit volume remains far lower than pre-war levels.

On Thursday, Windward said that transit volume through this key waterway rose from 11 vessels on March 31 to 16 vessels on April 1, achieving three consecutive days of day-by-day increases. The company said that all 16 vessels chose to transit via the Larack Island route—a route near Iran’s coastline defined as a corridor that requires permission to pass through. The report noted: “On April 1, vessels subject to Western sanctions accounted for 62% of the total transit, and Iran’s inbound shadow tanker fleet is preparing to load more cargo.”

Windward said this trend indicates that more countries are negotiating with Iran to ensure that vessels can pass through the strait, and in the coming days transit volume is expected to rise further.

Despite the rebound, transit volume still remains only a small fraction of normal levels. UNCTAD said the average number of ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz per day fell from around 130 in February to just 6 in March—a drop of about 95%—highlighting the severity of shipping disruptions since the conflict broke out.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints, accounting for about a quarter of the world’s seaborne oil trade, and it is also a transportation route for large volumes of liquefied natural gas and fertilizers. In the past, about 20 million barrels of oil passed through this route on average per day. Since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28 and Iran subsequently took countermeasures, the route has been largely disrupted since early March.

Five finance ministers call for windfall taxes on energy companies

According to Reuters, recently, the finance ministers of five EU countries jointly sent a letter to the European Commission calling for windfall taxes on energy companies to address fuel price increases driven by the Iran war.

According to the report, the finance ministers of Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Austria jointly issued this call in a letter dated Friday, saying that such measures would “send a signal that we are united and able to take action.” They wrote: “This will also send a clear message that those who profit from the consequences of war must do their part to ease the public’s burden.”

Since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28, oil and natural gas prices have surged significantly, causing price shocks similar to the energy crisis Europe experienced after the 2022 Russia-Ukraine conflict, even though EU countries are now obtaining more energy from renewable sources.

In this letter to EU Commissioner for Climate Affairs Wopke Hoekstra, the finance ministers referred to similar emergency tax measures taken in 2022 to cope with high energy prices. They wrote: “Given current market distortions and fiscal pressures, the European Commission should quickly establish a contribution tool similar to this on a sound legal basis, at the EU-wide level.” The letter does not specify the windfall tax rates proposed by the finance ministers, nor does it clarify which companies should be covered.

A senior EU official responsible for energy said on Tuesday that the EU is considering restarting measures used in 2022 to respond to the energy crisis, including proposals to control grid fees and impose taxes on electricity.

After Russia reduced natural gas supplies, the EU rolled out a series of emergency policies in 2022, including an EU-wide natural gas price cap, windfall taxes on energy companies, and targets to suppress natural gas demand.

Europe’s high dependence on imported fuels makes it vulnerable to the impact of Middle East conflicts on global energy prices. Since the U.S., Israel, and Iran entered war on February 28, Europe’s natural gas prices have risen by more than 70%.

EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen said Brussels is particularly concerned in the short term about Europe’s supply issues for refined oil products such as aviation fuel and diesel.

Layout: Liu Junyu

Proofreading: Gao Yuan