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Iranian gunboats have fired on a tanker navigating through the Strait of Hormuz, following an announcement by Iran’s military that it would close the crucial waterway due to “repeated breaches of trust.”
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) issued a warning stating that two gunboats belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had opened fire on the vessel as it transited the strait.
While the tanker’s crew and the vessel remain unharmed, it is currently uncertain whether the ship sustained any damage. The UKMTO did not disclose the flag state of the tanker involved in the incident.
This latest event unfolds amidst a backdrop of shifting dynamics between involved parties, who were on the brink of finalizing an agreement to keep the Strait of Hormuz open under the protection of nations allied with the United States.
Iranian military officials have declared the reinstatement of restrictions on ship passage through the strait, accusing the United States of “repeated breaches of trust” within the framework of their ceasefire agreements.
On Friday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced on social media platform X that the Strait was open for traffic. However, shortly thereafter, Iranian state media reported that Iranian armed forces would fully oversee the passage of ships, declaring the passage null and void if the alleged naval blockade persisted.
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 â 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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