The Strait of Hormuz was on lockdown on Monday after a tense weekend in which Iran was accused of attacking two Indian-flagged vessels and the U.S. Marines fired at and seized an Iranian-flagged ship.
The escalating tensions over the vital passage for oil and international trade came amid a U.S. naval blockade of the strait and Iran’s declaration on Sunday that it had closed the waterway after briefly reopening it.
The heightening hostilities over the strait are occurring as Iran announced it will not send negotiators to Pakistan for a second round of peace talks with their U.S. counterparts, including Vice President JD Vance.
Meanwhile, a ceasefire that the U.S. and Iran agreed to two weeks ago is set to expire on Wednesday. On Sunday, President Donald Trump said in an interview with Fox News that, if Iran doesn’t sign a peace agreement, “the whole country is going to get blown up.”
In a Monday social post, he said the blockade will not be lifted until the U.S. and Iran make a deal.
According to the International Transport Worker’s Federation, 20,000 seafarers are stranded on ships around the Persian Gulf, unwilling or unable to traverse the strait because of security concerns.
“There are vessels in this area right now, rationing food, rationing water, crews not getting properly paid and crew changes are still very hard to perform,” one seafarer, who wished to remain anonymous, reported exclusively to ABC News. “We feel trapped, we feel like we are in a prison because effectively we cannot leave the only way to leave is through the Strait of Hormuz and that is not possible at the moment.”
Iran fires on 2 Indian-flagged vessels
On Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said in a statement on social media that, in accordance with a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon, Iran had reopened the Strait of Hormuz “for all commercial vessels.”
But on Saturday, India claimed that Iranian forces fired on two Indian-flagged ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz.
The Iranian ambassador to India was summoned by India’s Ministry of External Affairs to discuss the “serious incident.”
“During the meeting, Foreign Secretary conveyed India’s deep concern at the shooting incident,” the ministry said in a statement, and stressed the importance India placed on the safety of merchant ships and their crews.
Audio shared with ABC News captures what appears to be a radio message sent by an India-flagged oil tanker, Sanmar Herald, as it was reportedly attacked by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. In the audio recording, a frantic crew member identifies the vessel and tells the Iranian navy that it had clearance to pass.
“Sepah Navy! Sepah Navy! This is motor tanker Sanmar Herald!” the crew member said, according to the audio obtained by TankerTrackers.com. “You gave me clearance to go! My name second on your list! You gave me clearance to go! You are firing now! Let me turn back!”
Iran says it was retaking ‘strict control’ of the Strait of Hormuz
On Saturday, Iran declared that it was retaking “strict control” of the strait until the U.S. called off its naval blockade of all Iranian ports.
Trump acknowledged Iran’s move on Saturday, saying the country “got a little cute.”
“They wanted to close up the strait again. You know, they’ve been doing it for years, and they can’t blackmail us,” Trump said on Saturday.
Marines seize Iranian-flagged ship
During a Pentagon press briefing on Thursday, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, announced that U.S. forces enforcing the blockade would hunt Iranian-flagged vessels or any vessels materially supporting Iran in Iranian territorial and international waters.
On Sunday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) posted a video online of Marines from the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli seizing the Iranian-flagged cargo ship M/V Touska in the Gulf of Oman just outside the strait.
According to CENTCOM, the Touska “failed to comply with repeated warnings from U.S. forces over a six-hour period.” It said the vessel was eventually fired upon and disabled by the guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance and that Marines operating from the Tripoli boarded and seized it.
Trump said the US blew a hole in the engine room.
The Iranian Military Headquarters immediately accused the U.S. of breaking the ceasefire and of “maritime piracy,” according to a statement published on the Iranian state news outlet FARS.
“The aggressor America violated the ceasefire and maritime piracy by firing at an Iranian merchant ship in the waters of the Sea of Oman, disabling its navigation system, and landing a number of its terrorist marines on the deck of the vessel,” according to the statement.
The Iranian military said it would “soon respond and retaliate against this armed piracy by the U.S. military.”
On Monday, Marines were still searching the Touska, with the inspection working through up to 5,000 shipping containers aboard the vessel, according to a U.S. official. The ship’s crew are still aboard, the official noted. CENTCOM posted photos of U.S. forces patrolling the seas as the search took place.
Iranian official says Iran’s negotiators not going to next round of peace talks
With the strait closed on Monday morning, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said the country has no plans to participate in the next round of peace negotiations.
Baqaei blamed the U.S. for the insecurity in the strait since the joint U.S.-Israel attack on Iran began on Feb. 28.
“Until February 28, this region enjoyed complete security,” Baqaei said, adding that “the tensions in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz are solely the result of the military actions of the United States and the Zionist regime.”