Reports of ships being fired upon inStrait of Hormuz: tensions are rising sharply

The Strait of Hormuz has been blocked again

The situation in the Strait of Hormuz is escalating: several ships have reported coming under fire while transiting the strategic waterway.

This was reported by Censor.NET, citing Reuters and BBC.

According to Reuters, at least two merchant ships reported coming under fire while attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, April 18.

It is also noted that three sources in the maritime security and shipping sectors reported the incident. The circumstances of the incident and its consequences remain unknown at this time.

At the same time, according to the BBC, one of the tankers came under fire from boats believed to be linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps .

According to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), the incident occurred approximately 20 nautical miles northeast of the coast of Oman. According to preliminary reports, the tanker and its crew were unharmed.

What happened before?

As a reminder, it was previously reported that Iran had opened the Strait of Hormuz for the duration of the ceasefire in Lebanon.
At the same time, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the United States would continue its naval blockade despite the opening of the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping. The blockade will apply only to Iran. Trump also stated that Washington does not need the help of the "useless" NATO.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that more than ten countries have expressed their willingness to provide resources and join a defense mission aimed at restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
The mission will be led by the United Kingdom and France.
Trump later stated that the U.S. naval blockade against Iran would continue and remain in effect "until our agreement with Iran is 100% fulfilled."
Trump expects progress in the negotiations with Iran and states that many issues have been agreed upon and that the main thing is for Tehran not to possess nuclear weapons.
Meanwhile, Iran is once again closing the Strait of Hormuz in response to "piratical actions" by the United States.