The declaration reimposing ’strict’ control over the key maritime chokepoint came as Iranian gunboats fired on a tanker that tried to sail through.
Iran’s military said on April 18 it has reinstated “strict military oversight” over the Strait of Hormuz due to Washington’s ongoing naval blockade of Iranian shipping, signaling an apparent reversal to a brief reopening of the critical global oil transit chokepoint announced a day earlier by Iran’s foreign minister and clouding the delicate peace negotiations taking place in the background.
Lt. Col. Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said in a statement published by Iran’s official IRNA news outlet and Iran’s state-run Press TV that the move was triggered by the continued U.S. naval blockade and what he described as repeated violations of prior understandings governing maritime traffic through the strait.
“Control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state and this strategic strait is under strict management and control of the Armed Forces,” he said, per IRNA. Zolfaqari said Iran had earlier “agreed in good faith, following prior agreements in negotiations, to allow the managed passage of a limited number of oil tankers and commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz,” while describing the ongoing U.S. naval blockade as “piracy and maritime theft” and a breach of ceasefire commitments.
Further, Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy on Friday issued four conditions for ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz, per Press TV: that civilian vessels must use a designated route designated by Iran, that they must first obtain permission, that military vessels are prohibited, and that transit is conditional on the ceasefire in Lebanon holding.
Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire amid diplomatic efforts to find a lasting solution that would address the threat to Israel from the Hezbollah terrorist group, which has been using southern Lebanon to stage attacks targeting Israeli communities.
Meanwhile, a convoy of tankers was seen departing the Gulf and transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, according to vessel-tracking data. The group was made up of four liquefied petroleum gas carriers and several oil product and chemical tankers, with more tankers following from the Gulf, MarineTraffic data showed.
At the same time, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre reported an incident on April 18, in which Iranian gunboats fired upon a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, with no casualties reported.
“The Master of a Tanker reports being approached by 2 IRGC gun boats, no VHF challenge that then fired upon the tanker,” UKMTO said in a notice. “Tanker and crew are reported safe.”
Also, two Indian vessels were forced back west in the strait on Saturday by Iran’s navy, according to TankerTrackers, which reported that “firing was involved.”
It is unclear if the UKMTO and TankerTrackers reports relate to the same incident.
By Tom Ozimek
