The Navy of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said this morning (Sunday) that it has temporarily closed the Strait of Hormuz until further orders. The move came after it fired warning shots at a ship that the IRGC said was attempting to transit through unauthorized passage.
According to the report of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), this announcement states that the IRGC Navy will not allow any ship to pass through this strategic waterway until American interference in the area stops.
Strait of Hormuz closed once again
Iran said that it considers the Strait of Hormuz closed once again. This was said when a warning shot was fired at a ship passing through this important sea route without permission. Due to this, the already weak ceasefire agreement with America is further under threat.
Retaliatory action from America
White House and US military officials did not immediately comment on the closure, nor did they say whether there might be any retaliatory action from the US. This announcement was made after the meeting of the foreign ministers of Iran and Oman on Saturday. In this meeting the strait existing between the two countries was discussed. The meeting came days after Iranian attacks on the ships and US retaliation, which dealt a blow to the interim agreement to end the war.
Iran’s new supreme leader, who has not yet been seen in public since the war began, vowed in his first statement after the funeral of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, that the Iranian people would avenge his killing in strikes early in the war on February 28.
Our country’s desire to take revenge
In a statement broadcast on state television, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said that such revenge is the desire of our country and it must definitely be fulfilled. This statement came hours after US President Donald Trump threatened to launch more missile attacks.
Oman said that it and Iran have agreed to continue talks at the technical and political level regarding the Strait of Hormuz. This was said a day after the US demanded Iran to publicly say that this important sea route is open and ships will not be attacked. Iran has accused Washington of violating the interim agreement.
Hormuz should remain under Iran’s control
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he discussed with his counterpart in Oman appropriate ways to ensure the safe movement of ships. The world has been considering this strait as an international waterway for decades. Iran says that Hormuz should now remain under its control and it should be allowed to charge fees from ships passing through it. He has adopted this stance after the war started.
Before the war began, about a fifth of all oil and natural gas traded passed through the strait. Iran’s control over oil during the war led to a global energy crisis, although oil prices have fallen sharply from their wartime peak of US$120 per barrel.
Accused of violating interim agreement
Iran’s top diplomat also accused America of violating the interim agreement. This allegation has been made due to the abolition of the exemptions under which Iran could sell crude oil in US dollars in the open market. Washington ended these exemptions in response to the attacks on ships in Hormuz.
Araghchi wrote on X, the reality is that compliance can happen from both sides. Trump says he has responded to threats against his life. Trump wrote on social media at night, thousands of missiles are ready and aimed at Iran. If the Iranian government follows through on its threat, thousands more missiles will be launched immediately.
Demand to kill Trump and Netanyahu
He said he was responding to threats to kill or attempt to kill him. During Khamenei’s funeral, mourners displayed posters or banners calling for the death of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Trump has announced the end of the ceasefire, but has said that America will continue negotiations. US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity Friday about the current situation with Iran, said the attacks had resumed in recent days as a rebel group of Iranian hardliners tried to sabotage the ceasefire.
Religious regime united under new supreme leader
Iran has insisted that its religious regime is united under the leadership of the new supreme leader. After the US ended its latest attacks on Thursday, more attacks on Iran are reported to be underway, raising questions about who else may be targeting the Islamic Republic.
17 people killed in attacks on Iran
Israel has not claimed responsibility for these attacks, which means that Gulf Arab states may have carried them out, perhaps to deter Iran from attacking them again. Iran responded to the US attacks on Thursday by targeting Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Qatar. Iranian Health Ministry spokesman Hossein Kermanpour said at least 17 people were killed and 115 others were injured in the attacks on Iran over two days.
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