On Friday, the United States and Iran announced that they would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy shipping route, to commercial shipping.
However, the Trump administration has said it will maintain a double blockade that bars ships bound for Iranian ports from entering the Strait of Hormuz and ships departing from Iranian ports from leaving.
In response, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz again on Saturday and began firing on cargo ships.
Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s energy trade passes for most of the eighth week of the war, has sent oil prices soaring.
A fragile ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran is set to expire on Wednesday.
Iran has confirmed it has accepted a new offer from the United States to extend the ceasefire, while Pakistan is working to organize another round of direct talks between the two countries.
“The Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous status and is under the strict control of the armed forces,” the Iranian military command said, warning that no ships would be allowed to pass through the strait while the US blockade was in effect.
Yesterday, Iranian Revolutionary Guards warships opened fire on an oil tanker, damaging some of its supply tanks with unknown shells, the British military’s Merchant Marine Operations Center reported.
India’s foreign ministry has lodged a protest with the Iranian embassy over the attacks on two of its flagged ships. The incident comes after Iran had previously allowed several Indian ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz without hindrance.
The Trump administration launched a double blockade on the Strait of Hormuz the following day after talks between US and Iranian representatives in the Pakistani capital Islamabad failed to yield any results.
A total of 23 ships that had passed through the Strait of Hormuz since Monday have been returned to Iranian ports, the US military’s Central Command said on Saturday.
https://ikon.mn/n/3mw1
