Oil Flows Are Up, but Iran Is Still Menacing the Strait of Hormuz NYT - World By: Pranav BaskarοΌ Eric Schmitt and Shirin Hakim 2 October 2026 at 04:01 Iran has been launching drones and missiles at commercial ships in the waterway each week, though it has often failed to strike its targets, according to a Western security official. Β© Tomas Munita for The New York TimesShips in the Persian Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, in July. Oil exports from the Middle East have rebounded in recent weeks.