Iran gunboats open fire on tanker in Hormuz strait – report

 The UK maritime agency said the tanker and crew were safe after the attack took place 20 nautical miles north-east of Oman.

The reported attack on a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz came after Iran resumed restrictions on commercial passage. (EPA Images pic)

PETALING JAYA:

 A tanker in the Strait of Hormuz is reported to have come under fire from two gunboats operated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations.

The incident took place 20 nautical miles north-east of Oman, and the tanker and crew have been reported safe, the Xinhua agency reported.

At least two merchant vessels said they were hit by gunfire as they attempted to cross the strait, Reuters reported, quoting three maritime security and shipping sources.

Some merchant vessels said the Iranian navy had sent a radio message saying the Hormuz straits had been shut again, and that no ships were allowed to pass through, the sources told Reuters.

About 10 vessels turned back while attempting to pass through the strait today following Iran’s renewed control over the strategic waterway, reported Xinhua.

Shipping data from MarineTraffic showed the 10 in the waters off Larak Island, an area used by Iran to monitor maritime traffic. The data indicated that most of the vessels involved were oil tankers, with several listing Indian ports as their destinations.

Earlier today, some vessels were reported to have gone through the strait, a day after Iran announced that the strait was completely open following a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.

However US president Donald Trump, while welcoming the reopening of the strait, said a blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place, leading to a defiant message from Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei that Iran’s navy was ready to inflict “new bitter defeats” on its enemies. - FMT