Strait seized, tensions spike, oil world holds breath.
Iran has captured two foreign commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and moved them to its coast, in a further escalation that comes hours after United States President Donald Trump said he would extend a ceasefire with Tehran.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the vessels had violated maritime regulations and entered the strategic waterway without coordination, according to Iranian state media.
The capture follows Wednesday’s incident, in which an Iranian gunboat fired on a container vessel near Oman, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre.
The British maritime monitoring agency said the ship’s captain reported that the ship had been approached by an IRGC vessel before shots were fired.
“[It] has caused heavy damage to the bridge. No fires or environmental impact reported,” UKMTO added. No casualties were reported, and all crew members were said to be safe.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply passes, remains one of the most strategically significant waterways.
Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi, reporting from Tehran, said, “This is in line with what we heard from the IRGC previously, saying that any passage of ships, vessels or oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz should be with the permission and coordination of the IRGC.”
He said the capture reflected Iran’s continuing strategy to impose control and authority over maritime traffic through the chokepoint, adding that Iranian officials were now discussing charges and transit fees for vessels using the route.
