Ships attacked as Strait of Hormuz closed again; Iran reviews new US proposals; French soldier killed in Lebanon
Iran has reported that the vital oil and gas canal for ships in the Strait of Hormuz has once again been closed to maritime traffic, with ship owners abandoning efforts to pass shortly after gunfire was heard in the waterway and ships appeared to be able to reopen.
The radio broadcast, heard by two shipowners with ships in the area, came as state news agency Nour reported that the strait had returned to “strict management and control by the armed forces”.
Nour said the decision to close the ship again was made due to a separate blockade that the United States has imposed on Iranian ships since Monday.
The new closure was the culmination of hours of chaos and confusion that left some ships racing to exit only to make a U-turn. Two shipowners, who asked not to be identified due to the security situation, said a radio broadcast was made announcing that a supertanker would be taken under arms.
A UK naval group also warned that a tanker was approached by two Iranian warships and fired upon without warning. It was later reported that an unknown shell had hit another ship.
Bloomberg
