Indian-flagged tanker among 2 vessels fired as Iran shuts Hormuz

After brief reopening, Iran on Saturday shut strait of Hormuz and two vessels, including an Indian-flagged supertanker, were forced back out of the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday after being approached by Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ naval units, shipping monitor TankerTrackers said. The incident comes as India continues to buy Iranian crude, despite mounting tensions in the waterway. “Meanwhile, India is still importing Iranian oil. With friends like these,” TankerTrackers said.
The group said audio recordings indicated IRGC gunboats fired during the encounter as the ships were redirected westward. One of the vessels was a very large crude carrier carrying about two million barrels of Iraqi oil, it said. Reuters reported, citing shipping sources that some merchant vessels received radio messages saying the Strait of Hormuz was shut again and that no ships were allowed to pass.
Iran's joint military command said on Saturday that "control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state ... under strict management and control of the armed forces". It warned that it would continue to block transit through the strait as long as the US blockade of Iranian ports remained in effect. "Until the United States restores freedom of movement for all vessels visiting Iran, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will remain strictly controlled," it said.