Iran closes Hormuz again after less than 24 hours as two ships report being fired upon
The reversal came as maritime tracking sites showed several ships attempting to take advantage of the opening
Iran’s reopening of the Strait of Hormuz lasted less than 24 hours. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared on Saturday that it had reimposed strict control over the maritime corridor, through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas transits. At least two vessels reported being hit by gunfire while attempting to cross the strait, according to three maritime security sources cited by Reuters. It has not been confirmed whether the shots caused damage.
Iranian authorities justified the closure as a direct response to the United States’ decision to maintain its own naval blockade against Iranian ports. Control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous status and is under strict management and control of the armed forces, Iranian state television reported, citing military central command.
The reversal came as maritime tracking sites showed several ships attempting to take advantage of the opening. Some managed to transit the strait in both directions before the closure was reimposed, but at least two tankers loaded at UAE ports and bound for India turned around and aborted their journeys, AFP reported. Other vessels broadcast their identity as Indian or Chinese in an apparent attempt to signal neutrality while hugging Iranian territorial waters.
President Donald Trump, who on Friday had celebrated the opening as a great and brilliant day for the world, struck an ambiguous tone on Saturday. He said there was pretty good news on Iran but warned he might not extend the ceasefire if a peace deal is not reached before Wednesday, when the current truce expires. It looks like things are going very well in the Middle East with Iran, he said without elaborating.
The negotiations face at least two major sticking points. Trump claimed Friday at an event in Arizona that Iran had agreed to hand over its approximately 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%, buried deep after last June’s US bombing strikes. But Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei contradicted him hours earlier: Iran’s enriched uranium is not going to be transferred anywhere. The future of the strait itself constitutes the second central point of disagreement.
The conflict, launched on February 28 with US-Israeli airstrikes against Iran, is entering its eighth week. Since the crisis began, the IRGC has carried out at least 21 confirmed attacks on merchant vessels and planted naval mines in the area, according to records compiled by the UK Maritime Trade Operations office (UKMTO). At least 823 vessels remain trapped in the Persian Gulf, according to maritime intelligence firm Windward.
