Iran’s IRGC fires again toward the Strait of Hormuz as tanker incidents mount

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has fired toward the Strait of Hormuz again, the latest in a series of military actions against commercial shipping that has been building throughout 2026. What started as warning shots in the spring has evolved into something more alarming: tankers catching fire, others forced to turn back, and Iran signaling it has no intention of standing down. A timeline of escalation On April 18, 2026, gunboats linked to the IRGC fired on at least three commercial vessels, with those incidents documented by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations. By May 28, the IRGC was firing warning shots at four ships attempting what Iran characterized as unauthorized passage. July brought a sharper turn. Two oil tankers were either forced to reverse course or caught fire following explosions linked to IRGC activity, with separate incidents reported on July 21 and July 30. A memorandum of understanding on safe passage, reached in June 2026 between Iran and the United States, collapsed without taking hold. Since then, relations between Washington and Tehran have deteriorated further, and Iran has said explicitly that the Strait of Hormuz will not fully reopen witho...