Eight oil tankers cross Strait of Hormuz despite Iran's shifting stance on blockade
via SeneNews1 min read
At least eight oil and liquefied natural gas tankers traversed the Strait of Hormuz early Saturday. This occurred after Iran initially declared the strait open for the duration of a ceasefire on Friday afternoon, only to reverse its position on Saturday, according to Kpler maritime tracking data. The vessels included one crude oil tanker, four liquefied petroleum gas tankers, two mixed oil and chemical tankers, and an eighth classified as a "petroleum products" carrier. MarineTraffic also showed over a dozen vessels in the strait Saturday morning, including several tankers near the Iranian island of Larak, a control point, though at least two appeared to turn back around 09:00 GMT. Additionally, the cruise ship Celestyal Discovery, without passengers, passed through the waterway from Dubai to Muscat, marking a first since hostilities began on February 28. Iran announced Saturday it would resume "strict control" of the Strait of Hormuz in response to the continued US blockade of Iranian ports, retracting its decision from the previous day to reopen the strategic waterway. Following Tehran's announcement of the strait's reopening on Friday, Donald Trump stated that the US blockade would remain "fully in effect" until negotiations concluded and would "continue" if no agreement was reached. The US Central Command indicated on X Saturday that "Since the beginning of the blockade, 21 ships have complied with US forces' directives to turn around and return to Iran." At least three o
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