Iran says it will take "legal action" against Sinokor tankers as its military chief claims Hormuz is "completely closed"

Iran has singled out Sinokor, the world’s biggest oil tanker owner according to Bloomberg, saying it will take “legal action” against the company’s ships for what it calls violations in the Strait of Hormuz.

“The vessels belonging to Sinokor Shipping Company have committed the highest number of crossing violations over the past 3 months, and so far, appropriate enforcement actions have been taken against at least 7 of them,” Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) said in a social media post on Tuesday, Bloomberg reported.

The PGSA did not say what those enforcement actions were, Bloomberg noted. RealTeaNews has not been able to establish what, if anything, has happened to the vessels. The shipping publication TradeWinds reported that the PGSA had announced “enforcement” and “legal action” against at least seven very large crude carriers. Its headline said Iran was threatening Sinokor for leading US-protected tanker transits through the strait.

According to Bloomberg, Sinokor has carried millions of barrels of oil out of the strait in recent weeks. RealTeaNews has not seen a public response from Sinokor. Iran’s statement makes allegations against the company; they have not been independently verified.

“Completely closed”: Iran’s claim

On the same day, Iran’s state-affiliated Mehr News Agency quoted Major General Abdollahi, the chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, as saying the strait is “completely closed” and that “no violating vessel will be safe”.

According to Mehr, Gen Abdollahi said any vessel trying to transit “outside the designated route and Iranian arrangements” would “have its security endangered and will suffer serious damage”. He also said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy manages the waterway. Mehr presented his remarks as a rejection of US claims that the strait is open.

The US disputes the claim. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Sunday that more than 3,000 commercial vessels had transited the strait with its support over the past six months, and that more than 95% of ships had passed safely in recent months, Al Jazeera reported. CENTCOM’s commander, Admiral Brad Cooper, said the main transit routes were clear of Iranian mines.

A meeting with the unseen supreme leader

Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, met the security chief Mohsen Rezaei to discuss regional security and the Strait of Hormuz, his office said on Tuesday, according to Asharq Al-Awsat.

The statement said they discussed “safeguarding national and regional security through the management of the Strait of Hormuz”. It was the first publicly announced meeting between the two men. Neither the date nor the location was disclosed.

Mr Khamenei has not appeared in public since he took office in March, and has communicated only through written messages, Asharq Al-Awsat reported. The meeting is known only through his office’s statement.

Oil price

Brent crude futures were up 45 cents at $116.26 a barrel at 09:18 GMT on Tuesday, Reuters reported, after trading lower earlier in the session. Brent topped $117 last week, its highest since April.

For American drivers, the national average petrol price is $4.29 a gallon, up 40% on a year ago, according to the motoring group AAA, as reported by Reuters. That is a week before the 3 November midterm elections.

Figures and statements above are as reported on Tuesday 27 October. For the earlier incident, see our related story, ““Deal or finish them off”: tanker disabled in Hormuz as Qatar mediates and Brent sits near $115”.