The Islamic regime fired at four ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday night, state media site IRIB reported.
The broadcaster alleged the ships attempted the journey to enter the Persian Gulf “without coordination with the security forces” at 12:35 am local time.
“They were warned, but after they ignored the warning, warning shots were fired at them, forcing them to return,” the report added.
The incident comes after the Islamic regime began attempting to assert authority over the key waterway, demanding ships pay a fee for “navigational” and “environmental services to circumvent legal restrictions on charging a toll.
They were warned - after asserting authority over the Strait
Under Articles 38 and 44 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, bordering Iran and Oman cannot suspend, impede, or charge tolls for vessels passing through the Strait, though the legislation permits countries to charge fees for services provided, security analyst Roger Macmillan previously explained to The Jerusalem Post.
Dr. Lynette Nusbacher, a military historian and a former British army intelligence officer, explained to The Post that Iran’s actions constituted “an act of war.”
“It is now clear that Iran can lay automatic or command-detonated mines in the Strait, and any ship attempting to transit those waters, or any mine-clearing drone that is trying to open those waters, can be attacked by missiles or drones from anywhere in Iran, or from moving ships in the Gulf or the Arabian Sea,” she said.
Nusbacher noted that it is almost a given that ceasefires will be violated, marking the difference between a pause in hostilities and actual peace, but there is an “art of knowing” which violations are trivial, to be recorded or ignored.
She claimed the current pause in hostilities could be better considered a “pause in high-intensity operations” rather than an actual ceasefire, allowing Tehran the opportunity to rearm and Washington an opportunity to enjoy the political benefits the image of a ceasefire reaps.
The enforcement of a blockade is a violation of a ceasefire and an act of war, she asserted, but in this case “there are no clear terms for the ceasefire currently in place; that’s one of the reasons that Israel and Hezbollah clearly feel that they don’t need to stop fighting.”
“This probably isn’t the most violated ceasefire ever, but there’s a lot more fire than cease,” she concluded.