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.