Iran Guards say stopped four ships trying to transit Hormuz strait
- Iran has in recent weeks hit tankers using route hugging Omani coast to traverse strait
Iran's Revolutionary Guards stopped four ships in the Strait of Hormuz with warning shots, aiming to control passage and force vessels into Iranian waters for safe passage fees.
- IRGC stopping four ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
- Warning shots fired by the IRGC Navy.
- Iran's strategy for controlling strait passage.
TEHRAN: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday their forces stopped four ships attempting to transit the strategic Strait of Hormuz over the past 24 hours.
“Four vessels that had intended to transit through the southern area of the Strait of Hormuz via an illegal and unsafe route were stopped over the past 24 hours after warning shots were fired by the IRGC Navy,” the Guards said in a statement quoted by state television, adding that the ships had “altered course”.
Iran has in recent weeks hit tankers using a route hugging the Omani coast to traverse the strait, in a bid to strongarm vessels into using its own waters and pay for safe passage.