Two Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers were stopped by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards near the Strait of Hormuz on 6 April, despite an earlier agreement allowing safe passage.
According to Reuters, the vessels had been heading toward the strait but were instructed to hold position without explanation and remained off the coast of the UAE. This interruption came even though Iran had reportedly agreed, through U.S.-Pakistan-mediated talks, to permit limited tanker transit as a goodwill gesture.
The halted Qatari ships would have been among the first LNG cargo vessels to pass through since the conflict began.
The tankers, loaded in Qatar, changed course after being stopped, one redirecting back toward Qatar and the other awaiting new instructions.
While one empty LNG tanker reportedly managed to pass through the strait earlier, most commercial shipments remain stalled.