Latest Developments

2 Chinese-Flagged Vessels Turned Back: Iran blocked two Chinese-flagged container vessels from transiting the Strait of Hormuz on March 27, according to the MarineTraffic tracking website and Chinese crew members. The ships, CSCL Indian Ocean and CSCL Arctic Ocean, turned around near Larak Island, 20 miles from the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.
IRGC Says It Blocked Additional Ship: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that its naval forces had turned around three ships of differing nationalities, naming the third vessel as the Marshall Islands-flagged Lotus Rising. According to Iranian state media, Iran is blocking all ships transiting to and from countries it considers supportive of the United States and Israel.
Only ‘Iran-Destined’ Cargo Permitted: According to The Wall Street Journal, citing container vessel owners, only vessels carrying “cargoes of Iran-destined household goods, cars, clothing, and pharmaceuticals” are being permitted to cross the Strait of Hormuz. During the past week, Iran has allowed four ships with cargoes containing Iran-bound grains to cross the narrow waterway and unload their goods at Bandar Imam Khomeini port.

FDD Expert Response

“China has long managed to thread the needle amid the region’s recent maritime crises, including mostly avoiding attacks from the Iranian-backed Houthis in the Red Sea and continuing to ply the Gulf to deliver discounted Iranian crude directly to domestic refineries. That balance may now be tested as tensions over the Strait of Hormuz continue to escalate and the ramifications of resulting maritime disruptions ripple outward into the global economy.” — Jack Burnham, Senior Research Analyst

“Whilst Iran probably does not seek to alienate China, which has been sympathetic to its plight in the war with America and Israel, access through the Strait of Hormuz may be affected by a range of considerations. Evidently, the Islamic Republic did not believe that these two Chinese-flagged container vessels were planning to do enough for Iran. It is also important to remember the havoc that U.S.-Israeli strikes have wreaked on the IRGC Navy and on wider Iranian command and control. This incident could reflect a lower-level or more localized shakedown of the vessels in question.” — Edmund Fitton-Brown, Senior Fellow