Middle East Crisis Strait of Hormuz

Two cruise ships have made it out of the Strait of Hormuz

After being stuck in the Persian Gulf for several weeks, two German cruise ships were able to pass through the Strait of Hormuz during this weekend's short-term opening, reports the New York Times.

No vacationers were left on board. The ships were manned by the smallest possible crew.

In a statement, tour operator TUI Cruises writes that the ships passed through the strait with "approval from the authorities, in a controlled manner and taking into account the security situation".

TUI Cruises did not answer NYT's questions about how exactly the ships secured passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

Several ships fired on in the strait – two taken to Iran

Three ships were fired upon by Iranian forces near the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday morning, reports AP. At least two of the ships have been seized and taken to Iran, Iranian television reports according to TT. In a statement, Iran's Revolutionary Guard says that the ships were stopped when they tried to pass through the strait.

First, reports came from the British maritime traffic controller UKMTO that a container ship had been fired upon and suffered severe material damage to the pier. However, no one on board was reported to have been injured.

A couple of hours later, reports came that another cargo ship had been fired upon and stopped. In that case, there is no information that the ship was damaged.

Iran has said that the country will keep the Strait of Hormuz closed as long as the United States does not lift its blockade of Iranian ports.