On the Strait of Hormuz, BBC finds seized ships and shark fishermen as uneasy calm returns
BBC News 2026-07-02 23:15:22
Context: In Bandar Abbas, an Iranian city on the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane and key focal point of the US-Israeli war with Iran, fishermen have returned to the waters after a ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran partially reopened the strait. The city, home to Iran's Navy and the naval arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), has seen a return to normal life, with families going back home, shops reopening, and traffic filling the streets. However, the effects of the war remain, with damaged buildings and a ruined apartment block still visible.
Key Facts
- The Strait of Hormuz, where the conflict has taken place, is one of the world's most vital shipping lanes, with around a fifth of the world's oil and gas shipments passing through these waters in peacetime.
- Two container ships, the MSC Francesca and the Epaminondas, which were seized by the IRGC in April and flagged to Panama and Liberia respectively, remain unreleased despite the ceasefire agreement.
- The Iranian city of Bandar Abbas, situated on Iran's southern coast close to the narrowest point of the strait, is home to Iran's Navy and the naval arm of the IRGC, making it central to Iran's military doctrine of "asymmetric warfare".
- According to the Red Crescent, 261 people, including civilians and military personnel, have been killed in Hormuzgan province, of which Bandar Abbas is the capital, and at least 96 separate US strikes took place in and around Bandar Abbas between 28 February and 8 April.
- An apartment block in Bandar Abbas was hit on 26 March by an Israeli strike, killing three people, including a military officer, and injuring seven others, with the Israeli Defense Forces claiming the intended target was IRGC Navy commander Alireza Tangsiri.