NATO sends more patrol aircraft to Black Sea after shipping attacks

· Security · Russia · Ukraine

NATO announced it will deploy additional military assets, including patrol aircraft, to the Black Sea after a series of deadly drone attacks on vessels in the region, which are apparently linked to Russia's war in Ukraine. Five more vessels were attacked on Tuesday, and the alliance is responding to the targeting of ships carrying agricultural cargo. Separately, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said three tankers were hit by mines while crossing the Strait of Hormuz along routes Tehran considers illegal, and Iran said a supertanker exploded near the strait, keeping oil markets jittery despite hopes for diplomatic progress in the Middle East.

Why it matters：Attacks on merchant shipping in two key corridors risk disrupting grain and energy trade and drawing NATO further into the war's spillover.

Key points

  • NATO cited deadly drone attacks on shipping off Bulgaria and Romania
  • Five more vessels were attacked on Tuesday
  • Iran said three tankers hit mines in the Strait of Hormuz

Sources (original reporting)

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