Iran has gone back to shutting down and heightening the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz by going after civilian mechant vessels. The country has pledged to restrict ships in the strait as long as the US blockade of Iranian ports remains in place. Meanwhile, mediators are scrambling to extend the 10-day ceasefire between the countries, which will expire on Wednesday.
1. Blockades
Maritime firm Lloyd's List reported that traffic at the Hormuz came to a stop after Iran fired on several ships, including two Indian tankers, on Saturday evening. Radio transmission warned ships that the Strait had gone back to strict management and control by the Iranian armed forces.
A number of vessels that passed the Larak Island, where the IRGC is monitoring passage, turned back around and moved west early on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Indian vessels have been issued a warning to stay away from the Strait of Hormuz without a clearance after the Sanmar Herald, a crude oil tanker, was reportedly attacked as it made its way through the Strait. They have also been asked to stay away from Larak Island.
The turnaround came after US President Donald Trump made claims that Tehran had agreed to surrender its stockpile of uranium.
2. Mid-transit stop
Two OFAC-sanctioned false-flagged LPG carriers attempted to cross the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday but turned around mid-transit.
Tracking data showed that the Botswana false-flagged Meda and Angola false-flagged G Summer owned by the Chinese, both, turned around from their paths at around 7:30 hours UTC.
3. Mediation attempts halted
The new blockade has complicated Pakistani led mediations attempts.
Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said in a televised interview that “it is impossible for others to pass through the Strait of Hormuz while we cannot.” Ghalibaf says the US and Iran are “still far from a final agreement.”
Iranian deputy foreign minister Saeed Khatibzadeh told the Associated Press that his country will not hand over its enriched uranium to the United States, rejecting claims made by U.S. President Donald Trump. "I can tell you that no enriched material is going to be shipped to United States,” Khatibzadeh said. “This is a non-starter and I can assure you that while we are ready to address any concerns that we do have, we’re not going to accept things that are nonstarters.”
4. Minesweeping
The US military, meanwhile, has deployed sea drones and other means to scan the Strait for mines.
Iran’s naval forces had mined the Strait amid the war in March. The US military is reportedly using a combination of manned and unmanned capabilities in the countermine operation, a US defence official told the Wall Street Journal.