Hormuz standoff darkens after ships come under fire

Fresh uncertainty gripped the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday after merchant vessels attempting to cross the waterway reported gunfire and shipping sources said Iranian naval broadcasts warned that passage was no longer permitted, sharpening fears over the security of one of the world’s most important energy corridors. Reuters reported that at least two vessels came under fire, while New Delhi confirmed that two India-flagged crude carriers were attacked during the attempted transit.

The episode marked another abrupt reversal in a waterway that had appeared, for a matter of hours, to be edging towards limited reopening. On Friday, more than a dozen tankers had managed to pass after Tehran signalled that some traffic could resume under controlled conditions. By Saturday, however, Iran had reimposed restrictions, according to Reuters reporting and ship-tracking data, leaving commercial operators once again unsure whether the route was merely restricted, selectively open, or effectively shut to normal navigation.

Accounts from the strait pointed to a fast-deteriorating operating environment. Reuters said vessels received radio messages from Iran’s navy telling them they were not allowed to pass, and shipping sources described shots being fired in waters between Qeshm and Larak islands. One tanker was reported to have been approached by two gunboats linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, while a container ship was also said to have been hit by gunfire. The full extent of any damage was not immediately clear, but the incidents were serious enough for vessels to abandon the crossing and turn back.

Diplomatic concern spread quickly beyond the Gulf. The Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi said two India-flagged vessels carrying crude oil had been attacked, prompting Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri to summon Iran’s ambassador, Mohammad Fathali. Misri urged Tehran to facilitate the safe passage of ships bound for India, underlining the commercial and political sensitivity of any disruption for a country heavily exposed to seaborne energy imports. Britain also pressed for de-escalation, with Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper saying normal passage had still not returned and warning that the prolonged curbs were holding the wider global economy hostage.

The stakes are exceptionally high because Hormuz remains the narrow outlet for a large share of Gulf oil and gas exports. The U. S. Energy Information Administration says oil flows through the strait averaged about 20 million barrels a day in 2024, equivalent to roughly one-fifth of global petroleum liquids consumption. The International Energy Agency says around 20 million barrels a day of oil and about a quarter of world seaborne oil trade transit the passage, with about 80 per cent destined for Asia. It also says 93 per cent of Qatar’s and 96 per cent of the UAE’s liquefied natural gas exports move through Hormuz, representing 19 per cent of global LNG trade.

That dependence explains why every shift in Tehran’s posture is watched not just by shipowners and Gulf producers, but by refiners, insurers and central banks. The IEA says only 3.5 million to 5.5 million barrels a day of crude export capacity can be redirected through alternative routes, chiefly via Saudi Arabia and the UAE, leaving a large gap if disruptions persist. Reuters has reported that the broader confrontation has already stranded hundreds of vessels and about 20,000 seafarers in the Gulf, while physical supply chains for oil and gas have been severely strained. Even where ceasefire diplomacy has briefly improved sentiment, the shipping industry has made clear that verbal assurances are not enough without predictable passage rules and a lower threat environment.

The latest flare-up also complicated an already fragile diplomatic track. Reuters reported on Sunday that both Tehran and President Donald Trump had cited progress in talks, but said large gaps remained over nuclear issues and the future of the strait. Iran has argued that its renewed control measures are a response to the continuing U. S. blockade of Iranian ports, which it views as incompatible with a ceasefire framework. Trump, by contrast, described Tehran’s move as blackmail even while maintaining that conversations with Iran were going well. That contradiction has left markets and ship operators trying to interpret two messages at once: one of negotiation, the other of coercion.