Tensions in the Persian Gulf escalate: two ships come under fire

At least two commercial ships came under fire as they tried to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Reuters reported the incident today, citing security sources. The captain of one tanker said boats belonging to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards opened fire on the vessel without warning.

Meanwhile, the text of a statement attributed to Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was published on Telegram. The Iranian navy is ready to inflict another bitter defeat on its enemies, the statement said, according to Reuters. Khamenei has not appeared in public or in the media since being elected leader in early March; only purported statements from him have been published in written form. There is uncertainty about his health.

Tehran announced today that it is closing the Strait of Hormuz again because the United States continues to maintain its naval blockade of Iran. Tehran had only announced the reopening of the strait on Friday. US President Donald Trump welcomed the reopening on Friday and said Iran had agreed never to close it again. He also said the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, aimed at limiting Tehran’s revenue from oil sales, would continue despite the reopening of the strait. He made ending the blockade conditional on reaching an agreement soon that would also address Iran’s nuclear programme.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said one of the tankers came under fire about 20 nautical miles (approximately 27 kilometres) northeast of Oman’s coast. The crew and vessel are safe, according to the report.

Some ships received a message by radio from the Iranian navy saying that the Strait of Hormuz was closed again and that no vessels were allowed to pass through it. Sources in the shipping industry told Reuters.

When the United States and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February, Tehran retaliated by disrupting shipping in the Strait of Hormuz through a combination of several attacks on vessels and threats of further strikes. Although the United States and Iran agreed to a ceasefire last week, Washington moved this week to blockade ships travelling to and from Iranian ports after peace talks failed.

Reuters reported this morning, citing ship-tracking data, that a convoy of tankers was leaving the Persian Gulf through the reopened Strait of Hormuz.