Strait of Hormuz Tensions Escalate

On Wednesday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) announced that the Strait of Hormuz is “closed to all shipping” as a reaction to recent U.S. military actions against Iran.

Interestingly, reports indicate that at least three liquid natural gas (LNG) tankers have successfully navigated through the strait, heading towards Asian ports. U.S. Central Command stated on Thursday that the strait remains “passable.”

The Khatam al-Anbia Central Command (KCHQ) issued a statement claiming, “Due to the deteriorating security situation in the region, the Strait of Hormuz will henceforth be closed to all vessels, including oil tankers and commercial vessels, and all traffic will be targeted.” This declaration seems to be in direct response to increasing tensions with the U.S., including recent attacks by Iranian forces in Hormozgan province.

Moreover, KCHQ expressed skepticism about U.S. claims regarding shipping traffic in the area. They completely dismissed the idea that vessels were actually passing through the strait.

In a separate statement, the IRGC reiterated that “the Strait of Hormuz will be closed until further notice.”

The U.S. is conducting retaliatory airstrikes following an incident where Iran shot down a U.S. Apache helicopter earlier this week. Some of these strikes were reportedly aimed at targets in southern Hormozgan province, which includes the key strait.

President Donald Trump claimed on Wednesday that despite Iran’s closure of the strait, the U.S. has been able to get several oil ships through, stating that millions of barrels are currently on their way to market. Iran, naturally, has rejected this assertion.

Trump made the bold declaration during a press conference, suggesting that nobody knows how much oil the U.S. has managed to transport, hinting that even Iran is unaware of some of these operations.

Last month, on his social media platform, Trump also revealed that he had instructed the military to conduct covert operations to support commercial shipping in the region. He followed this up with the news that over 100 million barrels of oil have successfully made their way to the open market through the strait.

He noted that more than 200 commercial vessels have maneuvered through the strait without issue. Trump emphasized that U.S. military dominance in the region is the true reason for this success, boldly stating, “Our military power will be defeated; our economy will be lost. It’s over for Iran!”

On Wednesday, U.S. Central Command quickly countered Iran’s assertion of blocking the strait, confirming that merchant ships continue to move in and out.

While Iran maintains its closure claim, there’s a significant amount of evidence indicating numerous cargo ships and tankers have crossed the strait since March when Iran intensified its maritime operations, even imposing tolls on shipping.

Although the total number of ships reported is less than what Trump claims, it’s feasible that some vessels are eluding detection due to tactics like turning off their Automatic Identification System.

On Thursday, ship tracking services indicated that three more LNG tankers were located after passing through the Strait of Hormuz with their transponders disabled, effectively avoiding potential Iranian attacks.

Two of these tankers, named Levreta and Rashida, are associated with Qatar Energy. They loaded their cargoes from Ras Laffan, and Rashida, specifically, had been held up in the Persian Gulf since late February.

When they were finally tracked again east of the strait, Rashida was headed toward Southeast Asia, while Levreta appeared to be en route to Pakistan. Tracking services weren’t able to pinpoint exactly when these vessels passed through.

The third tanker, Marigold, operated by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, loaded its cargo in the UAE and made its way back into tracking systems on Wednesday.

These three vessels bring the total number of LNG tankers recorded to have gone through the strait since Iran’s blockade to twelve.

Meanwhile, Brigadier General Majid Mousavi, the head of IRGC Aerospace Forces, warned that if the U.S. continues its actions in the Strait of Hormuz, severe consequences would follow.

He cautioned, “If you threaten the sacred Strait of Hormuz, we will turn the entire region into hell from all of Iran.”

In a further development, President Trump asserted that the U.S. military is prepared to take control of the entirety of Iran’s energy infrastructure, including critical ports like Kharg Island.

He mentioned, “In the near future, we will seize Kharg Island and other oil sites, achieving full control over the oil and gas markets, similar to our success in Venezuela.”