Maritime tension spikes as IRGC orders LNG carrier to abort Hormuz passage

Three vessels – two crude oil tankers and an LNG carrier – aborted their attempt to navigate the Strait of Hormuz after the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that the southern route was closed. The ships, identified as Velos Amber, Bravo, and Al Shihaniya, reversed course according to data from a semi‑governmental Iranian news service. The episode occurs at a time when Iran and the United States are exchanging accusations of naval aggression, including IRGC claims of missile attacks on U.S. warships and a U.S. Central Command statement about targeting Iranian‑linked tankers.