Tehran has defied President Donald Trump’s demands to fully reopen the strategic waterway to shipping.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has declared that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed to shipping until the US ends what it called its “illegal” interference in the region.
The statement came as the US reportedly pressed Iranian negotiators to declare the strait fully open to commercial shipping following talks with mediators in Oman on Saturday.
“The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until further notice and until the end of US intervention in the region. No ship will be permitted to transit the waterway,” the IRGC Navy said.
“If the enemy uses the incident it itself caused as a pretext to make another mistake and launch a new act of aggression against us, it will be met with a forceful response, and enemy bases in the region will be targeted,” the Navy added.
The US carried out strikes on Iran on Wednesday and Thursday after several tankers were hit by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz. While Iran did not publicly claim responsibility for the attacks, it had previously said that all ships transiting the waterway must follow IRGC instructions and use a designated shipping lane.
