BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 6. The Turkish-owned
Ocean Thunder ship safely crossed the Strait of Hormuz last night
and completed its exit from the Gulf, the Minister of Transport and
Infrastructure of Türkiye, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, said, Trend reports.
He noted that with this passage, the number of Turkish-owned
ships located around the Strait of Hormuz has decreased to 12, and
the number of ships requiring exit has decreased to eight.
"As a result of the joint activities carried out by our Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, the Ocean Thunder ship, which was on a journey
to transport crude oil loaded from Iraq to Malaysia, safely crossed
the Strait of Hormuz last night and completed its exit from the
Gulf. Thus, three ships that have been waiting in the Gulf since
the start of the war have safely left the Strait of Hormuz," the
minister added.
On February 28, the United States and Israel launched military
operations against Iran, striking major cities, including Tehran.
The White House cited missile and nuclear threats originating from
the Islamic Republic as justification for the attacks. The strikes
reportedly killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,
along with several other senior officials. In response, Iran’s
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a large-scale
retaliatory operation against Israel and has targeted U.S.
facilities across Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE,
Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Syria using ballistic missiles, cruise
missiles, and drones.
The conflict has placed the region’s energy infrastructure and
maritime shipping under serious threat. Due to security tensions in
the Strait of Hormuz, global oil prices have risen significantly.
Iran fully controls the Strait of Hormuz and allows passage only to
vessels it deems necessary.
