Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that any vessel entering or leaving ports allied with the “enemy” — the United States and Israel — will be barred from transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
In a statement on the 27th (local time), the IRGC said the U.S. president “lied this morning that the Strait of Hormuz is open.” It said three container ships, each on different voyages and sailing with Iranian permission for designated routes, turned back after receiving warnings from the IRGC’s naval forces.
The IRGC posted an image showing the courses of the three vessels as they approached eastward from the Gulf (Persian Gulf) toward the Strait of Hormuz and then reversed course.
Two of the vessels, the Arctic Ocean and the Indian Ocean, are Hong Kong‑flagged container ships chartered by China’s COSCO.
They had recently called at ports in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
The third vessel was the Marshall Islands‑flagged bulk carrier Lotus Rising, which is reportedly chartered by a China‑backed firm.
The three ships’ AIS transponders identified “Chinese owners and crew,” the IRGC said, but it refused them passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
The IRGC reiterated its warning that “the Strait of Hormuz is closed, and anyone attempting to pass will face harsh consequences.”
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Choi Jin-kyung (highjean@yna.co.kr)
