Strait of Hormuz: MSC Ship and Two Others Come Under Fire

Iranian media reported the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted three ships hit in the Strait of Hormuz as tensions in the Middle East heightened to dangerous levels.

According to IRGC-affiliated Fars news agency, a UAE-owned ship called Euphoria was left grounded off the coast of Iran after the incidents.

Meanwhile, the MSC Francesca and Epaminondas were "seized", according to Iranian media, and directed towards the Iranian coast.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) said the incident took place 15 nautical miles northeast of Oman.

The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz on 17 April proved short-lived, as Iran reimposed restrictions on the critical shipping lane within 24 hours.

The closure could have far-reaching implications for global supply chains. The disruption threatens to exacerbate existing pressures on international trade networks, energy supplies and commodity prices.

When Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced that "the passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire," the cost of a barrel of Brent crude fell to US$88 from over US$98 earlier that day.

Global markets responded positively, with the S&P 500 closing up 1.2%, while the CAC in Paris and DAX in Frankfurt both ended the day around 2% up. However, this moment of relief for global supply chains was fleeting.

Iran reinstates shipping restrictions

Within 24 hours, Iranian officials had reversed the reopening and reimposed restrictions on the vital shipping lane after the US said it would not end its blockade of Iranian ports. Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya joint military command said Tehran had restored the strait to its "previous status" and was now "under strict management and control by the armed forces".

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a stark warning about the consequences for vessels attempting to transit the waterway.

"Approaching the Strait of Hormuz will be considered co-operation with the enemy, and the offending vessel will be targeted," the corps warned. Iran says the restrictions will remain if Washington does not "ensure full freedom of navigation for vessels travelling from Iran to destinations and from destinations to Iran".

The rhetoric was quickly followed by action. The UK's Maritime Trade Operations Centre reported that Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ships had fired at a tanker as it attempted to pass through the strait on Saturday, while Reuters reported an Indian-flagged vessel carrying crude oil had also been attacked while in the waterway.

India's foreign ministry says it has summoned the Iranian ambassador to convey its "deep concern at the shooting incident earlier today involving two Indian-flagged ships in the Strait of Hormuz".

A container ship was also struck by a projectile off the northeast coast of Oman, damaging containers, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre.

Before Iran's decision to reclose the strait, at least eight oil and gas tankers had passed through the strait in the brief window when it was open early on Saturday, according to maritime tracking data.

Supply chain implications beyond energy

The closure could have significant implications for global supply chains beyond energy markets.

The strait has become a focal point of the US-Israeli war on Iran, and its closure has driven up energy prices around the world.

The disruption has also cut off a major supply line of fertiliser used by farmers, with a third of the world's key fertiliser chemicals passing through the strait, raising the prospect of higher food prices. Helium exports have also been majorly affected.

Kieran Tompkins, Senior Climate and Commodities Economist at Capital Economics, says that even when it was briefly open, the ceasefire "offers only a narrow window of opportunity for oil tankers to navigate the strait, load up, and exit". Even the shipping industry was sceptical during the brief reopening.

One oil and gas shipping operator told the BBC it "doesn't change anything" immediately.

"We don't feel like we need to be taking unnecessary risks and our company approach is that we won't be the first to go through the strait," it added.

Only three ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz on 20 April 2026, according to data from Kpler, after just one made it through the day before. Before the war, the average was more than 120 vessels per day. This dramatic reduction in vessel traffic could demonstrate the scale of disruption to global supply chains and the reluctance of shipping operators to risk their vessels and cargo.

Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei confirmed on Monday 20 April 2026 that Tehran has no plans for a new round of talks with the US, telling Al Jazeera that Washington has violated the ceasefire agreement from its very implementation.

Esmail also said that Tehran cannot forget that both the current US-Israeli war on Iran, which began on 28 February 2026, and the 12-day war in 2025 were launched while Iran and the US were actively engaged in talks over Iran's nuclear programme. He described the US proposals as "unserious" and its demands "unrealistic", adding that Tehran does not believe in ultimatums.

Donald Trump told Fox News on 19 April that the deal on offer – requiring Iran to reopen the strait and relinquish enriched uranium – was a "very fair and reasonable deal", and vowed to knock out "every single Power Plant" and "every single Bridge" unless Tehran accepted.

The dispute over the strait now extends beyond its immediate closure, with Iranian authorities demanding the right to impose tolls on vessels transiting the waterway - even after any eventual peace deal - a condition the US says it will not accept.

The effective closure of the strait has sent global energy prices soaring and prompted countries to implement fuel rationing and place restrictions on electricity consumption.

For now, with talks stalled and both sides hardening their positions, the world's most important oil chokepoint remains caught between two intractable forces, leaving global supply chains in a state of continued uncertainty.

Updated on April 22nd, 11.20am.