Strait of Hormuz: BBC sees seized ships and stranded tankers on visit to Iran

Now, weeks after Iran allowed the strait to partially reopen as part of a ceasefire agreement with the United States, the seas have calmed once again and fishermen are returning.

One of them, Abdol Rahman, took the BBC across the strait to see up close how the war was affecting life in Bandar Abbas and the surrounding area.

While passing through the Bosphorus, two container ships captured by the Revolutionary Guard in April, at the height of the conflict, came into view.

At the time, the IRGC said the ships were endangering maritime security by “operating without proper permits and tampering with navigation systems.”

Despite the ceasefire, the Panama- and Liberian-flagged MSC Francesca and Epaminondas ships were not released.

Dozens of cargo ships were seen in the open sea, waiting for permission from Iranian authorities to pass through the strait.

As we approached Hormuz Island, 8km (five miles) off the coast of Bandar Abbas, our guide Rahman pointed out an ancient fort overlooking the sea.

Its weathered red walls remind us that there has been a struggle for control of the Bosphorus for centuries. Built in the early 16th century, it was at the center of the Portuguese Empire’s control over this vital waterway until the Portuguese expulsion in 1622 by Persian King Shah Abbas I, from whom Bandar Abbas is named.