Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stopped two Qatari LNG tankers heading to the Strait of Hormuz earlier Monday and ordered them to remain in their positions before crossing without providing an explanation.
Informed sources said the two tankers were among ships on a list that Iran would allow to pass under an agreement with the United States brokered by Pakistan a few days ago, adding that this was part of an agreement negotiated during Pakistan-led talks last week.
Ship-tracking data showed that the two ships stopped off the coast of the UAE on Monday evening and did not cross the Strait of Hormuz, thus failing to pass any LNG shipment through the waterway since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran on Feb. 28, according to Reuters.
Data from Kepler and the London Stock Exchange Group showed that the Qatari ships, "Al-Da'een" and "Rashida", carried their cargoes in late February.
The two vessels were loaded with liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Ras Laffan in Qatar and were heading east towards the strait, but they turned back, according to ship-tracking data.
The two ships changed course as the "Al-Daeen" began referring to Ras Laffan as its destination after previously referring to Pakistan, while the "Rashida" switched to referring to "on demand" – a generic phrase – from the port of Qasim in Pakistan. The data showed that earlier in the day, the LNG tanker Al-Da'ayen was referring to China.
Earlier, Japan's liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker Sohar was able to cross the strait, its co-owner Mitsui OSK Lines said on Friday, but the tanker was empty and a spokesperson for the company declined to say when it would cross or whether any negotiations had taken place.
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