Five ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz in both directions today, Thursday, coinciding with the Iranian Navy’s announcement of its closure from the Arabian Sea side, in light of Washington threatening new military strikes and mobilizing an international maritime coalition.
Navigational data monitored by the Al Jazeera Network’s open source unit, via the MarineTraffic platform, showed the crossing of 3 oil tankers and two cargo ships, including two ships flying the Iranian flag, and leaving Iranian ports.
The commander of the Iranian army’s naval forces announced, at dawn today, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz from the direction of the Arabian Sea, warning of taking quick “operational action” if the American forces currently present advance, according to what was published by the Iranian Tasnim Agency.
According to navigational data, the oil tanker Ocean Jet (OCEANJET), listed on US sanctions lists, crossed the border, coming from the Iraqi port of Khor Al-Zubair, and heading to the Hamriyah Free Zone port in the Emirates. The ship’s ownership record shows that its management belongs to a company based in India.
The oil tanker Atlantis II and the cargo ship Mumtaz 2 also crossed, coming from the Iranian ports of Bandar Abbas and Rajai, also flying the Iranian flag. By examining the ownership register of the two ships, it was found that the two ships are operated by two companies based in Iran.
The data indicates that the oil tanker SEAWAY crossed from the Emirati port of Khor Fakkan, without disclosing its final destination, while the ownership record showed that its management belongs to a company based in China.
The cargo ship HOSEI MARU No. 126, coming from the Omani port of Al Suwaiq, also crossed the port, without a declared destination in the available tracking data.
On the 62nd day of the outbreak of the American-Israeli war on Iran, and 23 days after the truce, US President Donald Trump called on Iran to surrender, saying that it had been militarily defeated, its ships sunk in the sea, and its air force overwhelmingly destroyed, while Tehran threatened unprecedented military action in response to what it called “American maritime piracy.”
