Escalation on the Second Day.. Clashes in Hormuz and the US Army Bombs Two Ships

SadaNews - The Iranian Fars news agency reported today, Friday, that sporadic clashes have been ongoing for hours between Iranian forces and US warships in the Strait of Hormuz, while the US Army announced that it disabled two ships in the Gulf of Oman, claiming they violated the US maritime blockade.

The confrontation continues in the strait, which witnessed a clash on Thursday evening between Iranian forces and American destroyers, marking the largest escalation since the ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.

Earlier today, Iranian television announced that the navy forces of the army seized the oil tanker "Ocean Koi" in the waters of the Sea of Oman, under a judicial order, justifying this step by claiming it is to protect its national interests.

Iranian state media reported that the naval special forces carried out the seizure operation and escorted the tanker to the southern shores of the country to hand it over to judicial authorities, noting that the ship was carrying a shipment of Iranian oil and was attempting to "exploit the situation in the region and harm the oil export process and national interests.".

The Iranian army confirmed that it "will vigorously defend Iran's interests in its territorial waters and will not tolerate any violation of the law."

This announcement coincided with a report from the "Tanker Trackers" website, which indicated that three empty Iranian oil tankers managed to breach the US blockade over the past two days and returned to Iranian ports.

South Korea Investigates

In connection with maritime security tensions, South Korea's Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced that government investigators began to explore the causes of an explosion and fire that broke out on board the "HMM Namo" vessel (operated by the South Korean "HMM" company) while it was anchored near the UAE last Monday. The operating company confirmed that investigators boarded the ship after it was towed to the port of Dubai to ascertain whether the incident stemmed from an external attack or technical failure in the engine room.

US President Donald Trump accused Iran of firing on the Korean ship and urged Seoul to join the efforts led by Washington to secure navigation through the strait under the so-called "Freedom Project."

Conversely, the Iranian embassy in South Korea "categorically" denied any involvement of Iranian armed forces in damaging the ship, describing reports that suggested targeting it as "external comments that do not represent Tehran's official position." The Presidential Office in Seoul announced a temporary suspension of the review of the decision to join the US escort operation, affirming that authorities are keeping all options open pending the results of the technical investigation.

Yesterday evening, the Strait of Hormuz witnessed an exchange of gunfire between Iranian and US forces after an Iranian oil tanker was targeted, and Washington considered the Iranian attacks "unjustified," while the US President confirmed the continuation of the ceasefire.