War in the Middle East: We will destroy you, Iran attacks two ships trying to cross the Strait of Hormuz

According to the British maritime security agency UKMTO, Iranian Revolutionary Guard vessels fired on a ship without any radio warning.

Commercial ships faced gunfire and threats from the Iranian army as they tried to pass through the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, following Iran’s announcement to block this crucial commercial route after a brief reopening.

Iran announced on Saturday that it would resume “strict control” of the Strait of Hormuz in response to the ongoing U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, reversing its decision from the previous day to reopen this strategic maritime passage.

UKMTO reported that Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats fired on a tanker. The container ship was hit by an unidentified projectile, damaging some containers on board, but no fire or injuries among the crew were reported. The ship is also intact.

The vessel involved was the Indian-flagged Sanmar Herald, according to intelligence company Vanguard Tech. Vanguard reported that, according to the tanker’s captain, two Revolutionary Guard patrol boats approached without establishing radio contact and “shots were fired, damaging the bridge windows.”

Another ship, the Maltese-flagged Mein Schiff 4, which was passing near Oman, reported a projectile falling nearby as it sailed near Oman, as reported by Vanguard. “The captain confirmed receiving VHF (radio) communications from IRGC units stating: ‘We are conducting an operation, we will fire and destroy you.’ No damage was reported,” Vanguard reported.

Supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has been absent since taking office, had warned earlier in a written message that his navy was “ready to make the enemy taste the bitterness of new defeats.”

At least three of the ships tracked as they exited the strait on Saturday were on the U.S. sanctions list. Some present in the strait identified themselves as being linked to either India or China, as a sign of neutrality.

AXSMarine, a maritime transport analysis company, estimated in a note on Saturday that there were currently between 108 and 116 million barrels of crude oil stored on ships at sea in the Gulf. It believes this cargo could pass through the strait within six to eight days after a complete reopening, but shipments would take several weeks to reach Asian markets.