Iranian gunboats have opened fire on a tanker attempting to pass the Strait of Hormuz, hours after the Iranian military said it would close the Strait due to “repeated breaches of trust”.
The UK Maritime Traffic Organisation (UKMTO) issued an advisory that two Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) gunboats had fired upon a tanker as it passed the strait.
The crew and the ship are safe but it’s unclear if there’s been any damage. The UKMTO did not report which nation the tanker was flagged to.
The latest development comes in a confusing about-face for both sides, which seemed close to etching out a deal that would see the Strait of Hormuz opened and defended by a group of nations allied to the US.
Iran’s military says restrictions on the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz are being reimposed, alleging “repeated breaches of trust” by the United States in the two sides’ ceasefire.
On Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X that the Strait was open to traffic, but within hours Iranian state media confirmed the “full supervision of Iranian armed forces over the passage of ships, and such passage is considered null and void if the alleged naval blockade continues”.
US President Donald Trump has insisted a naval blockade of Iranian ports will remain in place until a full agreement is reached with Tehran.
Since the blockade began on April 13, the US has forced 23 vessels to turn around, US Central Command said on Saturday.
“Since commencement of the blockade, 23 ships have complied with direction from US forces to turn around,” CENTCOM said.
Iran’s navy ready to inflict ‘new defeats’ on enemies, Supreme Leader warns in new message
A message purportedly from new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warns that Iran’s navy “stands ready to make the enemies taste the bitterness of new defeats.”
Khamenei, who hasn’t been seen in public or released any video messages since his appointment as Iran’s Supreme Leader six weeks ago, didn’t reference any of the recent confusion over the status of the Strait of Hormuz in the written message.
Instead, it praised Iran’s army for “courageously defending the territory, waters and the flag that belongs to it.”
Only a handful of statements have been attributed to Khamenei.
This one marked the occasion of Army Day, which coincided this year with the birthday of his late father, Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated in joint US-Israeli airstrikes at the start of this war.
Ships are turning around in the Strait of Hormuz after Iran reimposes restrictions
Shipping heading towards the Strait of Hormuz today has started to turn around after the Iranian military reiterated that transits for commercial shipping would be tightly restricted – so long as a US blockade continues.
Vessels such as the Al Ghashamiya, carrying LNG, or the Sti Elysees, carrying crude oil, were both bound for ports in India but remain stuck in the Gulf, with shipping monitors showing them reversing course.
Three tankers under US sanctions – Gardian, Raine and Crave – were seen transiting the Strait earlier today and have now reached the Gulf of Oman unopposed, though the US blockade could still turn them around.
Iran says it won’t hand over enriched uranium to US
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh dismissed claims from US President Donald Trump over the uranium and sounded a note of caution with regard to future talks between the two countries.
Speaking to the Associated Press in the Turkish city of Antalya, Khatibzadeh said the Iranians were not ready for a new round of face-to-face talks with the US because the Americans “have not abandoned their maximalist position.”
On Friday, Trump said the US will go into Iran and “get all the nuclear dust,” referring to the 440 kilograms of enriched uranium believed to be buried under nuclear sites badly damaged by US military strikes last year.
– Reported with CNN, Associated Press
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