Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) linked gunboats on Saturday targeted two Indian-flagged vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The incident took place after the Iranian Navy announced that the strategic trade route had been shut again in retaliation to the US blockade in the region. As per reports, one of the two vessels targeted in the Hormuz was a VLCC super tanker containing approximately 2 million tons of Iraqi oil. The Associated Press reports suggested that the two Indian-flagged ships had to reverse course in the Hormuz after they were fired upon by Iranian guards. The development comes just a day after Iran informed that Hormuz was open for naval traffic for all commercial vessels as long as a ceasefire was in place.
However, as the situation continued to evolve in the Mideast, Iran once again closed the Hormuz Strait saying it will remain shut until US blockade stays in the region. Meanwhile, a UK based maritime monitoring agency – United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said that two gunboats from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard opened fire on a tanker transiting the Strait of Hormuz. It reported the tanker and crew as safe, without identifying the vessel or its destination. TankerTrackers.com reported that vessels were forced to turn around in the strait, including an Indian-flagged super tanker.
Over A Dozen Tankers Crosses Hormuz Before Iran Shut It Again
Amidst, Reuters reported that more than a dozen tankers, including three sanctioned vessels, passed through the Strait of Hormuz after a 50-day blockade was lifted on Friday, shipping data showed, before Iran reimposed restrictions again and fired at some vessels.
The news agency further mentioned that it had received a report of a tanker being fired upon by what it said “two gunboats linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC)” 20 nautical miles northeast of Oman. While in a separate incident, UKMTO said it had received a report of a container ship being hit by an unknown projectile 25 nautical miles northeast of Oman.
Hormuz Control Under Strict Management: Iran
Earlier today, Iran’s joint military command said, “control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state… under strict management and control of the armed forces.” Tehran warned that it would continue to block transit through the strait as long as the US blockade of Iranian ports remained in effect.
The United States pressed ahead with its campaign to choke off Iranian ports, and Iran reversed an initial move to reopen the waterway, firing on a ship attempting to pass.
Confusion over the critical chokepoint has threatened to deepen the energy crisis roiling the global economy and push the two countries toward renewed conflict, even as mediators expressed confidence that a new deal was within reach.
With inputs from AP
