Iran says it has closed the Strait of Hormuz again, calling the decision a response to a continued blockade of its ports by the United States. The Iranian military on Saturday said control of the strategic waterway, through which 20 percent of globally traded oil transits, has “returned to its previous state”, with reports saying Iranian gunboats fired at a merchant vessel as it attempted to cross. The closure of the strait came hours after it was reopened, with more than a dozen commercial ships passing through the waterway, after a US-mediated 10-day ceasefire deal was reached between Israel and Lebanon.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Saturday said in a statement, cited by Iranian state media, that the ongoing US blockade of Iranian ports represented “acts of piracy and maritime theft”, adding that the control over Hormuz is “under the strict management and control of the armed forces”. By on Saturday, at least eight oil and gas tankers had crossed the strait, but at least as many ships appeared to have turned back, having begun to exit the Gulf, the news agency reported. Later on Saturday, India summoned the Iranian ambassador to protest against a “shooting incident” involving two Indian-flagged merchant vessels in the strait, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said.
The ministry said in a statement that Secretary Vikram Misri summoned the Iranian ambassador and “conveyed India’s deep concern” over the incident. New Delhi also urged Iran to “resume at the earliest the process of facilitating India-bound ships across the Strait”, the statement said, adding that the envoy “undertook to convey these views to the Iranian authorities”. India was among the nations Iran had labelled “friendly” and allowed several Indian-flagged vessels to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
Some ships with flags from Malaysia, China, Egypt, and South Korea have also been allowed to pass through the strait. The toing and froing over the strait cast doubt on US President Donald Trump’s optimism the day before, that a deal to end the US-Israel war on Iran was “very close”. Trump had celebrated the reopening of the strait on Friday, but warned the US attacks would resume until Iran agreed to a deal, which included its nuclear programme.
The conflicting and changing reports about the strait and how much freedom ships have to transit through it have deterred many vessels from crossing, according to John-Paul Rodrigue, a maritime shipping specialist at Texas A&M University. The fragile situation makes it hard to talk about the possibility of successful negotiations down the road.”
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