Meziesblog

Iran’s supreme leader has issued a statement marking the anniversary of the Islamic Republic’s creation (1 April) and his late father’s birthday tomorrow.

In the statement distributed on Telegram, Mojtaba Khamenei praised the Iranian military’s defence of Iran against the US.

Amid new hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz, he warned that Iran’s “valiant navy is also ready to inflict new bitter defeats on its enemies”.

For context: US officials say the Iranian navy has been largely incapacitated, claiming over 150 vessels have been destroyed, including all submarines.

The supreme leader took the reins after his father and predecessor, Ali Khamenei, was killed in a US attack at the start of the war.

It is believed that Mojtaba Khamenei was also injured. He has not been seen or heard in public since then, and statements are only distributed in writing or read out.

Iranian gunboats fire on tanker in Strait of Hormuz

There have been reports of gunfire after at least two merchant vessels tried to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the news agency Reuters reports, citing three maritime sources.

Iran had earlier reversed the brief reopening of the key waterway, accusing the US of not meeting its obligations under a ceasefire agreement.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations reports that it has recorded a reported incident near the strait northeast of Oman.

The captain of a tanker said his vessel had been approached by gunboats of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, who opened fire, according to the Royal Navy-run organisation.

But the tanker and its crew are reportedly safe.

Earlier, during the strait’s brief reopening, several vessels had started moving through the shipping lane in what Reuters called the “first major movement” of ships in the strait since the start of the war.

Convoy appears to have dispersed

The convoy that had formed appears to have dispersed by now, however, as recent tracking data from the platform MarineTraffic shows.

That’s the situation in the strait just before the announcement, around 9am…