"Multiple Ships Attacked Just One Day After Hormuz Reopens"

Iranian Navy: "No Passage Through the Strait"

Oil tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Photo by Reuters-Yonhap News

On April 18 (local time), Iran's military authorities announced the re-closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and a series of ship attacks occurred. This announcement came just one day after the Iranian government had declared a temporary opening of the Strait of Hormuz, following the decision on a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) stated on April 18 that it had received a report that a high-speed attack boat, associated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, attacked an oil tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz near Oman.

According to the UKMTO, citing the oil tanker’s captain, two high-speed attack boats opened fire without warning via radio communication at a point 20 nautical miles (about 37 kilometers) northeast of Oman. The vessel and its crew were all reported safe.

The UKMTO also received a report that a container ship was attacked by an unidentified projectile at a point 25 nautical miles (about 46 kilometers) northeast off the coast of Oman. Some containers were damaged in the attack, but there was no resulting fire or environmental impact. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

According to sources in the shipping industry, some vessels on April 18 received a radio message from the Iranian navy stating, "The Strait of Hormuz is closed again. Ships cannot pass."

Based on vessel tracking data, on April 17 and 18, when the strait was temporarily reopened, most ships passing through the channel near Iran’s Larak Island were relatively old vessels registered under non-Western flags. Among these were four vessels subject to sanctions.

A spokesperson for the Revolutionary Guard stated that Iran had opened the passage only to a limited number of oil tankers and merchant ships as pre-negotiated. Other vessels were also observed approaching the strait, but after the Iranian military announced it would maintain strict control due to the ongoing U.S. blockade, these ships turned away.

According to vessel tracking data, on this day, five liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers departing from Ras Laffan, Qatar, were approaching the strait. Since the outbreak of war with Iran on February 28, no LNG carrier has passed through the Strait of Hormuz.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.