Iran seizes two ships in Strait of Hormuz amid blockade row

Iranian forces seized a commercial vessel off the UAE coast and an Indian-flagged cargo ship was attacked and sank near Oman on Wednesday, maritime security reports said, the most serious disruption to Gulf shipping since Washington began a naval blockade of Iranian ports and peace talks collapsed.

The vessel was boarded roughly 38 nautical miles northeast of Fujairah by personnel who diverted it toward Iranian waters, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said. UKMTO said the boarding party had no connection to the ship’s crew or its registered security detail, a signature of IRGC naval units. In a separate incident, an Indian-flagged cargo vessel came under attack in Omani waters and sank. Oman’s coastguard rescued all 14 crew members. No party has claimed responsibility for the sinking.

From New Delhi, where he was attending a BRICS summit, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said vessels entering the strait must now submit to Iranian naval inspection. He called the requirement routine. “In our view, the strait of Hormuz is open to all commercial ships, but they must cooperate with our naval forces,” Araghchi told reporters. He blamed Washington: “We have not created any obstacles, it is America that has created the blockade.”

The incidents follow weeks of rising tension on a waterway that carries about a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil. US Central Command has redirected roughly 70 commercial vessels away from Iranian ports as part of the blockade and disabled four ships to enforce it, Al Jazeera reported. Only 30 vessels had crossed the strait since the evening of 13 May, Iran’s IRGC said, down from a pre-crisis daily average of roughly 140. The Times of Israel described the twin incidents as the latest escalation on the strategic waterway.

Separately, Iran’s judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir claimed Tehran has a legal right to seize any US-linked oil tanker in the strait. The statement, carried by state media, points to further ship seizures unless the blockade ends. Jahangir offered no legal basis for the claim, and maritime experts have long rejected Iran’s jurisdiction over international straits.

The White House and President Xi Jinping discussed the strait by telephone on Wednesday after Chinese-flagged vessels were seen transiting without interference. Beijing’s ability to secure safe passage for its ships has pulled China deeper into a crisis that threatens global oil supply and adds pressure to the stalled US-Iran talks.