Iran Claims Attack On 2 Ships In Strait Of Hormuz

Two vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz were attacked by Iran on Wednesday, the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement reported by the semi-official Fars News Agency.

The IRGC said the Thai-flagged bulk carrier “Mayuree Naree” was fired upon after it allegedly ignored warnings and attempted to pass through the strategic waterway.

According to the statement cited by Fars, the vessel was targeted after “disregarding warnings and insistently attempting to illegally pass through the Strait of Hormuz.”

Another vessel, the Liberian-flagged “Express Rome,” was also hit earlier in the day.

The armed forces said the ship was “struck by Iranian projectiles this morning after ignoring warnings from the IRGC Navy,” according to Fars.

Data from maritime analytics provider MarineTraffic indicated that both vessels were present in the Strait of Hormuz earlier on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said there have been at least 13 attacks on vessels around the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman since the escalation between the United States, Israel and Iran began on February 28.

According to the maritime security body, three of the attacks occurred on Wednesday alone.

Earlier, a spokesperson for Tehran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters warned that Iran would block oil shipments passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

“Iran will never allow even a single liter of oil to pass through the Strait of Hormuz for the benefit of the United States, the Zionists, or their partners,” the spokesperson said.

“Any vessel, or any oil cargo belonging to the United States, the Israeli regime, or their hostile partners will be considered a legitimate target,” the statement added.

“We will pursue a policy of strike after strike until you are fully punished and regret your actions.”