Following a new wave of US strikes hit parts of the country’s southern coastline and triggered direct naval and air confrontations in the region, Iran’s military leadership on Thursday (June 11) announced full closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The announcement came from the Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters, which oversees Iran’s joint military command structure.
In a statement issued shortly after the attacks, it said, “From this moment, due to insecurity in the region, the Strait of Hormuz is declared closed to the passage of all vessels, including oil tankers and commercial ships, and any traffic will be targeted.”
The order effectively shuts one of the world’s most important shipping lanes, through which a large share of international oil exports flows daily.
The military command attributed the decision to “US aggression”. It said the closure followed “continued acts of aggression by the criminal United States” and cited ongoing strikes in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province. The statement also rejected Washington’s account of maritime movement in the area, saying, “Claims by the United States that ships are transiting the aforementioned strait are rejected.”
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) separately confirmed the shutdown order. “Strait of Hormuz will be closed until further notice,” it said in a statement.
The IRGC Navy added that enforcement measures had begun at sea. It also claimed it had engaged and struck two vessels attempting to move through the strait without permission. “Two ships attempting to illegally pass through the Strait of Hormuz were hit,” it said.
Issuing a warning to regional shipping traffic, it stated, “We warn that no vessel should depart from its anchorage in the Persian Gulf or the Sea of Oman. Any approach to the Strait of Hormuz will be regarded as cooperation with the enemy.”
Reports from southern Iran described explosions across parts of Hormozgan and surrounding coastal areas after US aircraft carried out another round of strikes. American officials confirmed the military action, which targeted multiple sites along the southern edge of Iran’s coastline.
The latest escalation followed earlier exchanges in which Iranian forces carried out retaliatory operations against US military positions in the region, including strikes on facilities belonging to the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and missile strikes on the al-Azraq base in Jordan.
The IRGC air defense units also reported an encounter with a US fighter jet during the US strikes. In its statement, its public relations office said an F-16 aircraft crossed into the Persian Gulf airspace and was forced to withdraw after Iranian missile systems engaged. “After the enemy F-16 fighter jet violated the airspace of the Persian Gulf and the IRGC air defense system fired a missile at it, the aggressor fighter jet fled the scene,” it said.
Meanwhile, Iran has also rejected claims made by US President Donald Trump that direct contact had taken place between American and Iranian officials to halt the strikes. “Trump’s claim that Iranian officials spoke to him directly and demanded a halt to the bombing is a sheer lie. No contact was made with Trump and Iran will respond militarily to the US aggressions,” reported Tasnim news agency citing a source.
As tensions expand across the Gulf, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is one of the most serious disruptions to international maritime traffic in recent years.
