Three cargo ships were damaged by unspecified “projectiles” while navigating the Strait of Hormuz, jeopardizing President Donald Trump’s goal of preserving the shipping lane’s safety.
The strait was de facto closed the morning hostilities began on Feb. 28, with announcements declaring the waterway’s closure from Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders shortly after. Ships began cautiously navigating the strait over the past few days as Iran’s military capabilities have been degraded further. Iran apparently began firing on these ships on Wednesday, hitting and damaging three cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
The ship that suffered the most damage was the Thai-flagged container ship Mayuree Naree — pictures of the smoking vessel showed a gaping hole along the waterline at the ship’s stern, with a fire visible inside. Three crew members were reported missing, while the remaining 20 were rescued and brought ashore by the Omani Navy. It was struck 12 miles north of Oman, the closest of the three to Iran.
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Shipping data showed the vessel had departed from Dubai and was headed to India.
The Japan-flagged container ship One Majesty was hit 29 miles north of the United Arab Emirates port city of Ras Al Khaimah, the BBC reported, and was left with a four-inch hole. No crew members were reported as casualties, and the ship was able to sail under its own power to a friendly port.
The Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier Star Gwyneth was struck 57 miles north of Dubai and reported no casualties.
In a statement from Tehran’s Khatam al-Anbiya military command headquarters, spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaqari warned that the attacks were only the beginning salvo of its retaliation, and that not “even a single litre of oil” would be allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
“Any vessel or tanker bound to them will be a legitimate target,” he added.
“Get ready for the oil barrel to be at $200 because the oil price depends on the regional security which you have destabilised,” Zolfaqari said.
The renewed strikes on shipping through the strait came after Trump boasted of the complete defeat of Iran’s military, questioning whether it had any way to retaliate.
“I think the war is very complete, pretty much,” Trump told CBS News earlier this week. “[Iran has] no navy, no communications, they’ve got no air force. Their missiles are down to a scatter. Their drones are being blown up all over the place, including their manufacturing of drones.”
“If you look, they have nothing left. There’s nothing left in a military sense,” he added.
Trump said the United States “could do a lot” to protect the Strait of Hormuz, and threatened Iran over any attacks on shipping.
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“They’ve shot everything they have to shoot, and they better not try anything cute, or it’s going to be the end of that country. … If they do anything bad, that would be the end of Iran, and you’d never hear the name again,” he threatened, saying the strait was now open but that he was still “thinking about taking it over.”
The three attacks are likely to halt shipping through the strait and could quickly manifest in global economic problems.
