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Iran says it has closed the Strait of Hormuz after its forces fired a naval cruise missile at a vessel it accused of sailing through an unauthorised route.
According to the BBC, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the vessel was struck with warning fire and stopped after ignoring repeated instructions.
The US thereafter launched a fresh wave of strikes in response to Iranian forces hitting the ship.
In response to the American strikes, Iran’s IRGC said the waterway was closed until further notice and launched attacks on US bases and allies in the region.
In a statement published by Tasnim News Agency, an outlet affiliated with the IRGC, the military accused foreign powers of interfering in the strategic international waterway through what it described as unauthorised shipping activities.
The IRGC said the latest incident prompted the decision to shut the strait.
“Given the precariousness that was caused by this unlawful interference by outside parties, the Strait of Hormuz is to be closed until further notice and until regional interference by the US ceases,” the statement reads.
“No vessel or naval craft will be allowed to pass.”
The IRGC warned that any US response to the closure would be met with “severity”, adding that military bases in the region would be targeted in the event of what it described as further aggression.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliamentary speaker and the country’s chief negotiator with the US, said on X that the “era of one-sided deals is OVER”.
“We told you: keep your word or pay the price. Reality is knocking,” Ghalibaf wrote.
In June, the United States and Iran reached a deal to end the Middle East war on all fronts including Lebanon, and reopen the vital shipping route, but offered little indication on the thorny question of Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Washington and Islamabad said the agreement was to be signed in Switzerland, signalling what would be a major breakthrough to ending months of war that have taken thousands of lives and roiled energy markets.
However, the peace deal has been fraught with one setback after another, with Iran and US forces carrying out reprisal strikes in that span.
