Iranian gunboats open fire upon tanker hours after closing the Strait of Hormuz

Iranian gunboats have opened fire on a tanker trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz, hours after the Iranian military said it would close the strait due to “repeated breaches of trust.”

The British Maritime Transport Organization (UKMTO) issued an advisory that two Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) gunboats had fired at a tanker as it passed through the strait.

The crew and ship are safe, but it is unclear if there is any damage. The UKMTO did not report which country the tanker was sailing to.

The latest development marks a confusing turn of events for both sides, which seemed close to sealing a deal that would see the Strait of Hormuz opened and defended by a group of nations allied with the US.

Iran’s military says restrictions on ship passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be reimposed due to “repeated breaches of trust” by the United States in both sides’ ceasefire.

On Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on

US President Donald Trump has insisted that the naval blockade of Iranian ports will remain in place until a full agreement is reached with Tehran.

Iranian Navy is ready to inflict “new defeats” on enemies, Supreme Leader warns in new message

A message, purportedly from new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, warns that Iran’s navy “stands ready to make its enemies taste the bitterness of new defeats.”

Khamenei, who has not been seen in public or released video messages since his appointment as Iranian Supreme Leader six weeks ago, did not refer to the recent confusion over the status of the Strait of Hormuz in his written message.

Instead, it praised Iran’s military for “courageously defending the territory, its waters and its flag.”

Only a handful of statements have been attributed to Khamenei.

The event marked the occasion of Army Day, which this year coincided with the birthday of his late father, former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated in joint US-Israeli airstrikes at the beginning of this war.

Ships turn around in the Strait of Hormuz after Iran reimposes restrictions

Shipping traffic towards the Strait of Hormuz began to reverse today after the Iranian military reiterated that commercial shipping transit would be severely restricted – as long as the US blockade continues.

Ships such as the Al Ghashamiya, which carries LNG, or the Sti Elysees, which carries crude oil, were both bound for ports in India but remain stuck in the Gulf as ship monitors show them changing course.

Three tankers under US sanctions – Gardian, Raine and Crave – were seen passing through the Strait earlier today and have now reached the Gulf of Oman unopposed, although the US blockade could still turn them around.

Iran says it will not transfer enriched uranium to the US

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh has rejected US President Donald Trump’s claims over the uranium and issued a warning regarding future talks between the two countries.

Speaking to the Associated Press in the Turkish city of Antalya, Khatibzadeh said the Iranians were not ready for a new round of face-to-face talks with the US because the Americans “have not given up their maximalist position.”

On Friday, Trump said the US will invade Iran and “pick up all the nuclear dust,” referring to the 970 pounds (440 kilograms) of enriched uranium believed to be buried beneath nuclear sites badly damaged by US military strikes last year.

With CNN and Associated Press

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