Two Indian-flagged ships were hit in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, shortly after Iran's military announced the closure of the waterway over the United States' plan to continue its naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Official sources said a convoy of 14 India-bound ships carrying crude oil and gas was stopped by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) after firing at two of the vessels while they were transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Following the firing, 13 of the ships returned to different locations in the Persian Gulf.
Gunboats of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corp fired on a tanker in the strait northeast of Oman, the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) said in an online statement.
"Tanker and crew are reported safe. Authorities are investigating."
The UKMTO said later that it also received a report of a container ship in the same area "being hit by an unknown projectile which caused damage to some of the containers" but no fire.
Sources said two Iranian gunboats approached the targeted tanker and opened fire without warning. The gunboats intercepted the vessel around 37 kilometres northeast of Oman, prompting other vessels in the convoy to turn back without completing the crossing. The incident was reported in waters between the Qeshm and Larak islands.
TankerTrackers.com said the vessels include an Indian-flagged super tanker, carrying 2 million barrels of Iraqi oil.
Following the attacks, the tankers reversed course in the strait, the vessel-tracker said.
One of the vessels hit was an Indian-flagged ship carrying crude oil. A window pane was broken after bullets fired by the IRGC struck the vessel, forcing it to halt its journey and turn back. The extent of damage to the second vessel was not immediately known, but it too returned.
However, another Indian-flagged ship carrying crude oil for the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited successfully crossed the Strait of Hormuz and is now heading towards India, sources said.
According to sources cited by PTI news agency, India summoned Iranian envoy Mohammad Fathali and registered strong protest over the attacks.
The incidents came shortly after Iran's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, in a statement, warned that Tehran's Navy was ready to defeat US forces in the Strait of Hormuz.
In a statement carried on his Telegram channel, Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since before the start of the war, said Iran's "brave navy stands ready to make the enemies taste the bitterness of new defeats."
Earlier in the day, Iran's central military command announced that it would resume "strict management" of the strait, calling the decision a response to a continued US blockade of Iranian ports.
In a statement shared on state television, the military stated that Washington had broken a promise by continuing its naval blockade of ships sailing to and from Iran's ports.
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 transit through the strait would continue to be blocked as long as the US blockade of Iranian ports remained in place.
The announcement came as maritime tracking sites showed several ships making a dash through the narrow waterway, hugging close to Iranian territorial waters as instructed by Tehran and, for some, broadcasting their identity as Indian or Chinese in an apparent attempt to show their neutrality.
Of the 14 India-bound vessels, seven were Indian-flagged, four sailed under the Liberia flag, two under the Marshall Islands flag and one under the Vietnam flag. Six vessels were carrying crude oil, three had LPG cargo, and four were loaded with fertilisers. Five of the vessels were bulk carriers. All 14 ships were travelling in a row.
Tehran had on Friday declared the strait, which usually carries a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas, open after a ceasefire was agreed in Lebanon to halt Israel's war with Hezbollah.
The decision was reversed after US President Donald Trump on Saturday said that he was planning to maintain the naval blockade of Iranian ports until both the countries agree on a permanent ceasefire deal. He also hinted that the temporary ceasefire agreement between Iran and the US, which is due to expire on April 22, would noty be extended.
"Maybe I won't extend it, but the blockade is going to remain," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, when asked if the ceasefire will be extended.
Asked about a potential deal, Trump said, "I think it's going to happen."
Confusion over the critical chokepoint threatened to deepen the energy crisis roiling the global economy and push the two countries toward renewed conflict, even as mediators expressed confidence a new deal was within reach.
Iran tightens control
Iranian forces' closure of the strait has trapped hundreds of ships in the Gulf and driven up the price of oil and the costs of shipping goods, with captains avoiding the region for fear of attacks or mines.
Thirteen of the vessels were stopped by the Iranian Navy and instructed to wait. Of them, seven are currently drifting south of Larak Island while awaiting clearance from Iranian authorities.
The Indian government is understood to be coordinating with Iranian authorities to ensure the safe passage of the stranded India-bound vessels.
Investigators said the standoff over the Strait of Hormuz escalated again on Saturday after Iran reversed its decision to reopen the waterway and fired on ships attempting to cross, even as the United States continued its blockade of Iranian ports.
At least three of the vessels tracked exiting via the strait on Saturday were listed as being under US sanctions.
MarineTraffic indicated that a cruise ship, the Celestyal Discovery, became the first passenger vessel to transit the strait since the start of the conflict.
It crossed close to the coast of Oman on Friday afternoon after having been docked for about 47 days in the United Arab Emirates.
"Reports indicate the vessel is sailing without passengers," Marine Traffic said in a post on X.
At least two other passenger ships showed up on the tracking platform passing the strait close to Oman on Saturday.
(With inputs from PTI, AP, AFP)
