Two Indian Vessels Come Under Iranian Fire In Strait of Hormuz, Turn Back; Ambassador Summoned
Two Indian vessels were forced back west out of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran's Navy. It has been reported that firing was involved in the incident.
Tehran: Two Indian vessels were forced back west out of the Strait of Hormuz after it came under attack by the Iranian Navy. According to reports, the vessels came under heavy firing. One of the vessels is an Indian-flagged VLCC supertanker carrying 2 million barrels of Iraqi oil.
The British military said that two gunboats from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard opened fire on a tanker transiting the Strait of Hormuz after Iran said it had reimposed restrictions on the vital waterway. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said the tanker and crew were reported safe, without identifying the vessel or its destination.
Iran’s joint military command said on Saturday that “control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state ... under strict management and control of the armed forces.” It warned that it would continue to block transit through the strait as long as the US blockade of Iranian ports remained in effect. Iran has prevented vessels from crossing throughout the seven-week-long war, except for ones it authorises.
Following the incident, India's foreign ministry has summoned the Iranian Ambassador.
Six Tankers Turn Back
As per shipping data, six tankers were unable to proceed through the narrow passage and either halted or turned back amid rising uncertainty and security risks, highlighting the immediate impact of Iran's reversal on opening the crucial straight, with commercial shipping once again disrupted in one of the world’s busiest oil routes.
On Friday, Iran had announced conditional reopening during a ceasefire, allowing limited and tightly controlled vessel movement. Tehran had warned that any continuation of US pressure could lead to another shutdown.
The Confusion On Saturday
The United States pressed ahead with its campaign to choke off Iranian ports and Iran reversed an initial move to reopen the waterway. Confusion over the critical chokepoint threatened to deepen the energy crisis roiling the global economy and push the two countries toward renewed conflict, even as mediators expressed confidence a new deal was within reach.
Ebrahim Azizi, the head of the Iranian parliament’s National Security Commission, said that the strait was “returning to the status quo,” which he had earlier described as ships requiring Iranian naval authorization and toll payment before transiting.
The U-turn came a day after Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared the strait open while a 10-day ceasefire was announced between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon. Iran has always demanded an end to Israel’s war with Hezbollah. It had earlier accused Israel of breaking the US-Iran ceasefire with strikes on Lebanon. Israel maintained that the deal did not cover Lebanon.
What Trump Said On Hormuz
While Iran announced lifting off its blockade, US President Donald Trump said that the American blockade “will remain in full force” regardless of what Iran does until a deal is reached. Even as the U.S.-Iran ceasefire appeared to hold, the back-and-forth over the strait, through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil typically passes, highlighted how easily the ceasefire can fall through.
US forces have sent 21 ships back to Iran since the blockade began on Monday, U.S. Central Command said on X.
Published By : Satyaki Baidya
Published On: 18 April 2026 at 17:06 IST