Iran declares Strait of Hormuz closed until ‘the end of US interference in this region’
Parisa Hafezi And Steve Holland
Updated ,first published
Dubai/Washington: Iran announced on Sunday that it was closing the Strait of Hormuz after a ship passed through an unapproved route and was hit, warning that any retaliation over the incident would be met with a “strong response”.
Shortly thereafter, the US military announced that it had struck Iranian targets in response to an attack on a Cypriot-flagged container ship in the strait.
The Iranian Naval Forces Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement, “A ship that endangered maritime security by shutting down its systems was hit and stopped,” without giving any details about the ship.
The IRGC statement said many ships attempted to pass through the waterway on an “unauthorized route” and ignored warnings to correct their route.
The IRGC said the strait was closed “until further notice” and until “U.S. involvement in this area ceases.” The Navy said that offensive actions against Iran “will be met with a harsh response and new enemy bases in the region will be targeted.”
The United States has demanded that Iran publicly announce that it will stop attacks on ships in the strait and that all routes through the waterway will be open without tolls, senior U.S. officials told reporters on Friday.
The United States and Iran agreed this week to continue negotiations despite escalating hostilities and also declared the end of the ceasefire, US President Donald Trump said on Friday.
More to come
Reuters
