Indian oil tanker turned back from US-backed Omani corridor in Strait of Hormuz, says Iran

An Indian oil tanker has reportedly been turned back from the Omani corridor in the Strait of Hormuz, said Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency.

Iran targeted American military sites in the Gulf on Wednesday after the US launched strikes on several places in Iran and reinstated sanctions on its oil sales. Washington said it was responding to Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

The exchange of fire raised fears that the war in Iran could reignite, and US President Donald Trump fueled those concerns by saying the interim agreement to pause fighting was “over,” although he added that he would allow negotiations to continue.

On June 24, Oman and the UN’s International Maritime Organisation announced a temporary corridor in the strait along the Omani coast, to be overseen by the US, for the evacuation of vessels stranded in the Gulf.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have warned ships intending to use the Omani corridor via radio communications, ordering them to use the corridor designated by Iran instead.

Ship-tracking data showed that all vessels that transited the Strait of Hormuz this morning travelled along the corridor approved by Iran, the agency said.

India seeks safe passage for nine ships

According to a Bloomberg report, India is seeking safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz from Iran for at least nine laden tankers waiting in the Persian Gulf, as attacks in the waterway threaten an already fragile interim ceasefire.

The Centre is closely monitoring the movements of these vessels loaded with crude oil and liquefied petroleum gas, people familiar with the matter said, asking not to be named because the discussions are private.

The External Affairs Ministry (EAM) will contact Iranian authorities over the safety of Indian seafarers in the region, Bloomberg reported.

Hundreds of seafarers have been stranded for months since the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed. That includes the 198 mariners onboard the nine tankers ready to transit through the thoroughfare.

India is particularly concerned about crews after at least three Indian seafarers were killed in US strikes on commercial ships in the Gulf of Oman in June, Bloomberg reported.

UN maritime head demands ‘restraint’

The head of the International Maritime Organization on Wednesday called for "maximum restraint and de-escalation" as almost 6,000 seafarers remained stranded in the Persian Gulf amid fresh US-Iran attacks.

“These attacks further intensify the fear, uncertainty, and psychological strain already being endured by the nearly 6,000 seafarers who remain stranded on board vessels unable to depart the Persian Gulf safely,” IMO secretary general Arsenio Dominguez said in a statement.

“We're gonna hit 'em hard tonight”: Trump on Iran

US President Donald Trump warned on Wednesday that US forces would strike Iran "hard" in the coming night, after earlier declaring Washington's ceasefire with Iran over at a NATO summit in Ankara.

"We're gonna hit 'em hard tonight," he said, adding: "They violate the agreement every day."