LNG tanker Nidi turns back in Strait of Hormuz amid Iran route control

Donald Trump. Pic/AFP

Underlining Iran's continued control of the Strait of Hormuz, a Botswana-flagged liquified natural gas tanker called the Nidi attempted to travel out of the Persian Gulf via a route ordered by the Revolutionary Guard but suddenly turned around and headed back early Friday, ship-tracking data showed.

On Thursday, four tankers and three bulk carriers crossed through the Strait of Hormuz, bringing the total number of ships passing through since the ceasefire to at least 12, according to the data firm Kpler. However, other ships not transmitting their locations may have passed through as well. The strait typically saw well over 100 ships passing through it daily in peacetime.

On Thursday evening, US President Donald Trump appeared to be casting doubt on the effectiveness of the ceasefire that has halted the Iran war. "Iran is doing a very poor job, dishonourable some would say, of allowing Oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz," he wrote on his social media site. "That is not the agreement we have!"

The post came after Trump posted earlier that "There are reports that Iran is charging fees to tankers going through the Hormuz Strait. They better not be and, if they are, they better stop now!" The White House supports reopening the strait as part of the ceasefire deal, but says that Trump opposes Iran's military, which continues to control the waterway, from seeking to raise revenue by charging tolls on passing ships.

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