Iran is deploying new tactics to target ships sailing through the Strait of Hormuz as it seeks ​to keep oil prices high and influence the US midterm elections, two senior Iranian officials told Reuters.

Tehran has tried to exert control over the Strait of Hormuz since the US ‌and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28. It has restricted passage through the waterway, which carried about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade before the war, in an effort to gain leverage over Washington.

Its threats and attacks have severely curtailed traffic through the strait, driving up oil prices, though some oil has continued to transit.