# TLDR: 2026-09-13 (Day 198) Lead: TWO SHIPS HIT IN HORMUZ ON THE EVE OF IRANS BIG MEETING Compiled by a language model from that day's archived articles; analysis, not archive record. Page: https://iranwar.liminallayers.com/bulletins/tldr-2026-09-13/ Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/); sources remain their publishers'. ## OVERVIEW An Iranian commercial ship was hit near Qeshm Island on Sunday morning, killing one crew member, and a second vessel was struck by a projectile in the strait hours later. It all happened the day before Gulf foreign ministers gather in Oman to be shown Iran's new Hormuz shipping corridor, a meeting Bahrain is boycotting. Trump says the Houthis rang Washington to ask it to stay out of their fight with Saudi Arabia, and CNN has worked out why Mocha fell so fast: the army defending it was roughly a fifth as big as its payroll suggested. ## TWO SHIPS HIT IN HORMUZ ON THE EVE OF IRANS BIG MEETING Iranian state media says a commercial vessel was struck near Qeshm at about 5am, killing one and injuring four, with the local governor blaming the "American-Zionist enemy" [2][7]. Hours later the UK Maritime Trade Operations centre reported a second ship hit by a projectile, with a fire aboard and the crew evacuating [2][11]. The US has not commented. Traffic through the strait is running about 90 percent below pre-war levels [2]. ## IRANS HORMUZ DEAL IS NOT ACTUALLY A REOPENING Araghchi says the Iran-Oman agreement being presented in Oman on Monday "by no means" means the strait reopens [3]. It defines entry and exit routes that would be used if conditions allow, and Iran's condition is unchanged: Washington returns to the Islamabad memorandum and lifts the blockade [3]. A senior Iranian official told Reuters not to expect anything signed [15]. What Tehran actually gets is regional states in a room accepting a briefing on a corridor it manages with Oman, then registration at the International Maritime Organization. That is a claim of legitimacy dressed as a shipping arrangement. ## BAHRAIN REFUSES TO SHOW UP Manama says it will not attend, that regional security "cannot be preserved through a policy of appeasement," and that Hormuz should be open without "discrimination, fees or permits" [15]. It added that it will not join any collective meeting involving Iran until diplomatic relations resume, which have been cut since 2016 [15]. The reference to fees is the giveaway: Gulf states suspect the corridor comes with a toll booth, and paying it would mean conceding who owns the water. ## THE ARMY THAT LOST MOCHA WAS MOSTLY ON PAPER Yemeni battalions in Mocha were padded with "ghost names" drawing salaries, leaving the real force at about 20 percent of its official strength, a Western source told CNN [6]. A regional source called the collapse "a Saudi-American f*** up of epic proportions" and said not one Saudi airstrike came during the day of the assault despite minute-by-minute updates: "The Saudis threw the Yemenis under the bus" [6]. Analysts now expect a large-scale Saudi retaliation, with more than 45,000 civilians already displaced [1][14]. ## THE HOUTHIS RANG WASHINGTON AND ASKED FOR A PASS "The Houthis called us, and they don't want to fight with us," Trump said in Ireland, adding that they are letting most Red Sea shipping through and "it's just one country that they're not too happy with" [13]. Their spokesman says they target only "the Saudi enemy" but could fight "up to three fronts" if outsiders join Riyadh [13]. Offering America safe passage while squeezing one specific country is a neat trick, and Saudi Arabia is the country. Meanwhile Iranian MPs have signed an urgent motion to quit the Non-Proliferation Treaty [9], which is where the referral to the Security Council leads next. ## References 1. [CNN] CNN: The Saudis have few options against the surging Houthis and none are good ones 2. [CNN] CNN: Iran reports commercial vessel struck in Strait of Hormuz 3. [AAM] Anadolu Agency — Middle East: Iran says Monday’s meeting in Oman to focus on new maritime route in Strait of Hormuz 4. [BBC] BBC News: Iran war reshapes Brics ties but also exposes divisions 5. [CNN] CNN: Why Trump’s effort to build more refineries won’t lower gas prices 6. [JPO] The Jerusalem Post: Yemeni army rosters filled with 'ghost names,' leaving Mocha vulnerable to Houthi takeover - report 7. [TSN] Tasnim News Agency: One Killed As Projectile Hits Ship in Southern Iran 8. [MHR] Mehr News Agency: Russia expands nuclear team at Iran's Bushehr plant 9. [MHR] Mehr News Agency: Iran can easily withdraw from NPT, revise nuclear doctrine 10. [MHR] Mehr News Agency: BRICS agrees to safeguard energy flows as oil prices soar 11. [GDN] The Guardian — Middle East: Houthis claim attack on Saudi base as fighting flares with Yemeni forces 12. [YNT] Ynetnews: Houthis accused of using AI to fake Yemeni general’s retreat order during Mocha offensive 13. [RTN] RT (Russia Today): Houthis asked US to stay out of Saudi fight, Trump (VIDEOS) 14. [YNT] Ynetnews: ‘We took only the clothes we wore’: Tens of thousands flee Houthi-held areas in Yemen 15. [AJE] Al Jazeera: Bahrain says it will not participate in Iran’s proposed Hormuz meeting 16. [AJE] Al Jazeera: Iraq probes drone strikes on Saudi Arabia, shuts three crossings to Iran 17. [CNN] CNN: Exclusive: Inside Hegseth’s push to showcase a dramatic Iran rescue on ‘60 Minutes’