Kathmandu, April 19: Iran has announced that it will once again close the Strait of Hormuz—considered highly significant from a strategic standpoint—to commercial ships. The announcement came after reports surfaced on Saturday of attacks on several vessels in the strait, with Iran warning that any ship entering the area would be targeted.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated that it was compelled to take this decision due to the ongoing blockade imposed by the United States. The military’s move to close the strait came just a day after Iran’s foreign minister had announced its temporary reopening.
In a statement, the Iranian navy warned all vessels in the Persian Gulf or the Gulf of Oman not to move from their positions. “Approaching the Strait of Hormuz will be considered as assisting the enemy, and such vessels will be targeted,” the IRGC was quoted as saying by the BBC.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump responded that the United States would not be intimidated by Iran’s threat. Accusing Iran of attempting “blackmail,” Trump said the closure of the waterway had created a global energy crisis. Fuel prices in international markets have surged as Iran has effectively disrupted this route over the past two months.
The United States has maintained that its naval blockade of Iranian ports will continue until a peace agreement is reached between the two countries. The current two-week ceasefire is set to expire on April 22.
Indian ships attacked:
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) opened fire on two ships carrying crude oil and gas to India via the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday.
Tensions escalated after Iran prevented 14 India-bound vessels from passing through the waterway. Following the gunfire, 13 ships were forced to turn back to various locations in the Persian Gulf.
One vessel was hit by gunfire, while another managed to pass through the strait. The incident involved two Indian-flagged ships, “Jag Arnav” and “Sanmar Herald.” Jag Arnav was reportedly carrying around 2 million barrels of Iraqi oil.
Immediately after the incident, India’s Ministry of External Affairs summoned Iran’s ambassador to New Delhi, Dr. Mohammad Fattali, to lodge a protest. Foreign Secretary Randhir Jaiswal expressed deep concern over the firing on Indian vessels during the meeting.
In a statement, the ministry said: “This evening (Saturday), the Iranian ambassador in New Delhi was called to meet the Foreign Secretary. During the meeting, the Foreign Secretary conveyed India’s deep concern over today’s firing incident in the Strait of Hormuz involving two Indian-flagged vessels.”
The statement further added: “He emphasized the importance India attaches to the safety of commercial shipping and seafarers, and recalled that Iran had previously facilitated the safe passage of many vessels heading to India. Reiterating concern over this serious incident of firing on merchant ships, the Foreign Secretary urged the ambassador to convey India’s protest to Iranian authorities and to resume the facilitation of Indian vessels through the Strait of Hormuz at the earliest. The Iranian ambassador assured that these concerns would be conveyed to the authorities in Tehran.”
Iran has accused the United States of violating the ceasefire and has announced a complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, warned that if U.S. vessels move even slightly from their positions, Iranian forces would open fire immediately. He also noted that while some progress has been made in talks with the United States, significant gaps remain regarding the nuclear program and the waterway issue.
People’s News Monitoring Service.
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