Along one of the world's most vital maritime corridors, the Strait of Hormuz became in March 2026 a theater of deliberate violence against civilian commercial ships, as Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps carried out a series of attacks that Human Rights Watch now characterizes as potential war crimes. At least seven seafarers and one shipyard worker lost their lives, four remain missing, and the International Maritime Organisation confirmed seventeen separate incidents of damage across a seventeen-day span. The attacks unfolded against a backdrop of escalating tensions between Iran, the United S
Human Rights Watch: Iran Deliberately Targeted Civilian Ships in Strait of Hormuz
Seven seafarers and one shipyard worker killed, four seafarers missing, ten people injured (five severely), and one Nepali national detained by Iranian authorities.
Any vessel intending to pass must obtain permission from Iran
Mark
So Human Rights Watch is saying Iran deliberately attacked these ships. But how certain are they about that?
Mimi
They documented two attacks where Iran's own officials claimed responsibility—the Safesea Vishnu and Mayuree Naree. Videos, photos, statements from the Revolutionary Guard. That's direct.
Luke
Right, but for the other 14 attacks the IMO recorded, Human Rights Watch says they couldn't confirm who was responsible. That's important. We know attacks happened. We don't know Iran did all of them.
Mimi
True. But Iran's public statements show intent. They said they'd block oil passage. They warned ships. Then ships got hit.
Mark
What about the civilian part? Could any of these ships have been carrying military cargo?
Mimi
Human Rights Watch checked. Iran never claimed they were military targets. Never presented evidence of weapons or military equipment on board. Just said the ships ignored warnings.
Luke
And under international law, that matters. A civilian vessel is a civilian vessel, even if it has commercial ties to the US or Israel. Iran would need to prove otherwise to justify the attacks legally.
Mark
So if this goes to court, what would prosecutors need?
Luke
Criminal intent. They'd have to show Iran deliberately targeted civilians, not just that attacks happened. The statements help—Iran basically said 'we're going to block the strait' and then attacked ships trying to pass. That's suggestive.
Mimi
Seven people died. Four are missing. That's the weight of it.
Mark
Did Iran respond to Human Rights Watch's questions?
Mimi
No. They didn't answer when asked for clarification on March 18.
Luke
Which is itself notable, but it's not proof. Silence isn't confession.
El Pulso
- Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps openly warned it would block oil passage through the Strait of Hormuz if US-Israeli attacks continued — then made good on that threat within hours, striking civilian ships with explosive-laden drones and projectiles.
- Between March 1 and 17, seventeen incidents of damage were confirmed across the strait and surrounding waters, killing at least seven seafarers, leaving four missing, injuring ten, and detaining one Nepali national in Iranian custody.
- Human Rights Watch documented five attacked vessels — including the oil tanker Safesea Vishnu and the Thai-flagged Mayuree Naree — verifying through footage, photographs, and Iranian officials' own public statements that all were civilian ships with civilian crews.
- Iranian commanders compounded the crisis by demanding that all vessels obtain Tehran's permission to transit the strait, a claim with no basis in international law and one the IMO Council formally condemned on March 19.
- With Iran offering no response to Human Rights Watch's formal inquiry and responsibility for fourteen of sixteen attacks still unconfirmed, the path toward accountability remains open but uncertain — those proven to have intentionally targeted civilians could face war crimes prosecution.
Along one of the world's most vital maritime corridors, the Strait of Hormuz became in March 2026 a theater of deliberate violence against civilian commercial ships, as Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps carried out a series of attacks that Human Rights Watch now characterizes as potential war crimes. At least seven seafarers and one shipyard worker lost their lives, four remain missing, and the International Maritime Organisation confirmed seventeen separate incidents of damage across a seventeen-day span. The attacks unfolded against a backdrop of escalating tensions between Iran, the United States, and Israel — with Iranian commanders publicly warning that no vessel would pass the strait without Tehran's permission. International humanitarian law is unambiguous in its prohibition of attacks on civilian vessels, and the question of criminal accountability now hangs over those who ordered and carried out these strikes.
In early March 2026, as hostilities between Iran and the United States and Israel intensified, the Strait of Hormuz transformed into a corridor of deliberate danger for civilian shipping. Human Rights Watch released a report documenting what it described as intentional attacks on commercial vessels — conduct that, if proven to reflect criminal intent, would constitute war crimes under international humanitarian law.
The violence began on March 1, when Iranian forces started targeting commercial ships in and around the strait. Ten days later, a spokesperson for Iran's armed forces issued a public warning: oil would not be permitted to transit the strait if American and Israeli attacks on Iran continued. That same day, two civilian vessels — the Safesea Vishnu and the Mayuree Naree — were struck. The Safesea Vishnu, an oil tanker operating within Iraqi territorial waters roughly 50 nautical miles southeast of Basra, was rammed by two explosive-laden unmanned boats in rapid succession. One Indian crew member died and the vessel caught fire. The Mayuree Naree, a Thai-flagged ship entering the strait after departing the UAE, was hit by projectiles of unknown origin; the Omani navy rescued 20 of its 23 crew members. Iranian state-affiliated media claimed both attacks, stating the ships had ignored warnings and attempted illegal passage.
By March 17, the International Maritime Organisation had confirmed 17 incidents of damage from 16 apparent attacks across the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf, and the Gulf of Oman. The human cost was severe: seven seafarers and one shipyard worker killed, four seafarers missing, ten people injured — five seriously — and one Nepali national detained by Iranian authorities. Human Rights Watch investigated five vessels in total, verifying through footage, photographs, and official statements that all carried civilian crews and served no military purpose. Crucially, when Iranian authorities claimed responsibility for the attacks, they offered no evidence that the ships represented legitimate military targets.
Human Rights Watch wrote to Iranian authorities on March 18 seeking clarification; no response was received. The organization was unable to confirm responsibility for 14 of the 16 documented attacks, though Iranian commanders made repeated public statements signaling an intent to strike any vessel attempting to pass without Tehran's permission — a claim the IMO Council formally condemned on March 19. The question of individual criminal accountability now rests on whether intent can be established — a threshold that Iran's own public declarations may help to meet.
In mid-March, as tensions between Iran and the United States and Israel escalated, the Strait of Hormuz became a zone of deliberate violence against commercial shipping. Human Rights Watch released a report documenting what it characterized as intentional attacks on civilian vessels—a designation that, under international law, could constitute war crimes if proven to reflect criminal intent.
The attacks began in early March. On March 1, Iranian forces started targeting commercial ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz, according to the International Maritime Organisation. Ten days later, on March 11, Ebrahim Zofaghari, a spokesperson for Iran's armed forces, delivered a stark warning: Iran would not permit oil to transit the strait if American and Israeli attacks on Iran continued. That same day, two civilian commercial vessels—the Safesea Vishnu and the Mayuree Naree—were struck. Human Rights Watch documented these attacks through statements made by Iranian authorities claiming responsibility, photographs and videos of the immediate aftermath, and in the case of the Safesea Vishnu, footage apparently capturing the moment of impact itself.
Between March 1 and 17, the International Maritime Organisation confirmed 17 separate incidents of damage to commercial vessels resulting from 16 apparent attacks across the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf, and the Gulf of Oman. The human toll was immediate and severe. Seven seafarers and one shipyard worker were killed. Four seafarers went missing. Ten people were injured, five of them seriously. The Safesea Vishnu, an oil tanker, was hit in the northern Persian Gulf after what Iranian authorities said was a failure to heed warnings from the Revolutionary Guard Navy. One crew member—an Indian national—died in the attack. The vessel caught fire. Five other crew members were evacuated and taken to a hotel in Basra. The tanker had been operating within Iraqi territorial waters, approximately 50 nautical miles southeast of Basra, when it was struck by what witnesses described as two explosive-laden unmanned boats that rammed the hull seconds apart.
On the same day, three additional vessels were attacked: the One Majesty, a Japanese-flagged container ship; the Star Gwyneth, a Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier; and the Mayuree Naree, flying a Thai flag. The Mayuree Naree was struck by what the Royal Thai Navy described as projectiles of unknown origin as it entered the Strait of Hormuz after departing from the United Arab Emirates. The Omani navy rescued 20 of the vessel's 23 crew members. Three remained aboard the severely damaged ship. On the day of the attacks, Tasnim News, an outlet affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard Corps, posted a statement claiming that the Mayuree Naree had been "shelled by Iranian fighters" after ignoring warnings and attempting to pass through the strait illegally. Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the Revolutionary Guard naval forces, reinforced the message on social media, stating that any vessel intending to pass through the Strait of Hormuz must obtain permission from Iran.
Human Rights Watch investigated five vessels in total—the two explicitly claimed by Iran, plus three others corroborated through photographs, videos, and government statements. The organization verified that all were civilian commercial vessels with civilian crews. Critically, when Iranian authorities claimed responsibility for attacking the Safesea Vishnu and Mayuree Naree, they did not characterize the ships as military targets, nor did they present evidence that anything aboard constituted a legitimate military objective. Under international humanitarian law, direct attacks on civilians and civilian objects are forbidden under any circumstance. Warring parties are obligated to take all feasible precautions to avoid harm to civilians. Vessels with commercial ties to the United States or Israel remain civilian objects under law. Those responsible for serious violations of the laws of war—carried out intentionally or recklessly—may face prosecution for war crimes.
Human Rights Watch wrote to Iranian authorities on March 18 seeking clarification about the attacks. No response was received. The organization was unable to confirm responsibility for 14 of the 16 documented attacks. However, Iranian authorities made multiple public statements demonstrating, in the organization's assessment, a clear intention to attack ships—including civilian ones—attempting to pass through the strait. In one instance, both Tasnim News and Commander Tangsiri claimed that Iranian forces had also attacked a vessel called the Express Rome. On March 19, the ship's owners, Danaos Shipping, confirmed to Human Rights Watch that the Express Rome had not been hit and that its crew remained safe. Meanwhile, according to reports from March 20, a Nepali Ministry of Foreign Affairs official stated that Iranian authorities had detained one Nepali national taken from the Strait of Hormuz. The International Maritime Organisation Council, on March 19, formally condemned what it described as threats and attacks against vessels and the purported closure of the strait by Iran.
Citas Notables
Iranian authorities did not state that the vessels were military objects, nor did they present any evidence to demonstrate that anything on board could have constituted military objects.— Human Rights Watch report
Any vessel intending to pass through the Strait of Hormuz must obtain permission from Iran.— Alireza Tangsiri, commander of IRGC naval forces
Quieres la nota completa?
Lee el original en Republic World ↗
War & Conflict