Iranian officials claim to adjust the pace of attacks on merchant ships, aiming to maintain high oil prices and influence U.S. midterm elections Reuters cited two senior Iranian officials who said that about ten days ago, Iran began adjusting the methods and frequency of attacks on ships violating its transit restrictions. The goal is to maintain high oil prices and influence the U.S. midterm elections in November, making it harder for Trump to lower oil prices before the elections. The same report also quoted an anonymous U.S. military official who stated that after radar capabilities were compromised, the Revolutionary Guard started deploying unarmed observers on small boats to locate maritime targets and relay the information back. The official mentioned that the U.S. military spotted one such boat last week, evacuated the personnel onboard, and then destroyed the vessel without causing any casualties. Within the 48 hours covered by the report, at least five security incidents involving oil tankers and other merchant ships occurred in and around the Strait of Hormuz, including drone attacks. Maritime security agencies' analysis shows that recent incidents have extended to waters near Qatar and the UAE, while the Gulf of Oman is reportedly the next area Iran plans to expand its operations. Iranian officials also declared their goal of preventing ships that violate their restrictions from passing through the strait. The market had previously hoped that Russia would increase diesel exports to ease supply pressures, but the latest report from the IEA suggests that Russia's insufficient refining capacity means that relaxing export restrictions may not significantly improve global diesel supply. Oil prices continue to see slight increases. One @Gate, trade more markets.