Tehran: At least two merchant vessels have claimed that they were attacked by gunfire while trying to cross the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday. The impact of the reported incident is not immediately clear. The incident was claimed on the day that saw Iran first open the waterway to commercial vessels and then close it again.
What did the report claim?
The incidents were reported by news agency Reuters, citing three maritime security and shipping sources. Meanwhile, the British military too claimed that two gunboats from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard fired at a tanker passing through the waterway.
According to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center, the incident took place around 20 nautical miles north-east of Oman. The center also added that the tanker and its crew were safe in the incident.
Iran reverses its decision on the Strait of Hormuz
Earlier, Iran reversed its decision to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Issuing a warning, Tehran said it would continue to block the waterway as long as the US blockade of Iranian ports continued. The announcement came after US President Donald Trump said the blockade of the waterway “will remain in full force” until an agreement is reached with Iran, including on the nuclear programme. Iran had earlier reopened the waterway on Friday to commercial ships.
Notably, around one-fifth of the world’s oil passes through this waterway. The latest closure of the Strait would further affect supply, once again across the globe. Iran’s Friday announcement came as a 10-day truce between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon seemed to be on hold.
Recently, Iran and the US held delegation-level talks in Pakistan, which did not yield the desired results. US President Donald Trump has said that the next round of the meeting is likely to be held soon, though it is still not clear in which country the same is likely to take place.