Two Indian ships had to divert their course in the Strait of Hormuz after reports of firing by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, a ship-tracker said.
According to reports, following the attack by the Iranian Navy, the two Indian ships were forced to retreat westwards from the Strait of Hormuz. Reports also say that heavy firing was done on these ships. One of these ships is an Indian-flagged VLCC supertanker carrying 2 million barrels of Iraqi oil.
Earlier, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said that it had received a report of firing on a tanker. According to the agency, the shooting was carried out by “two gunboats belonging to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)” 20 nautical miles north-east of Oman.
UKMTO said in its advisory note that the captain of the tanker said that both the gunboats had started firing without any radio warning. The agency further said that the vessel and its crew were reported to be safe.
The incident came as Iran reimposed tough sanctions on ships trying to transit the strait in response to US President Donald Trump saying on Friday that a US blockade on ships using Iranian ports would continue.
Announcement of ‘strict control’ on Hormuz
Earlier, an Iranian military spokesman said that Tehran had allowed “a limited number of oil tankers and merchant ships” to pass through the strait. “But unfortunately, the Americans, with their repeated acts of breaking trust, which are part of their history, continue to engage in piracy and maritime piracy under the cover of the so-called ‘blockade,'” the spokesman said, according to Iran’s semi-official news agency.
He said control of the strait is once again “under the strict management and control of the armed forces”, and will remain so until the US ends its blockade of ships transiting through Iranian ports.