Iran closes Strait of Hormuz after vessel strike and warns of reprisals

Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday (12 July) after the navy of its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps struck and stopped a vessel whose details were not disclosed.

The force said the ship had switched off its systems and entered a route without approval.

“A vessel that had jeopardised maritime security by switching off its systems was struck and brought to a halt,” the IRGC Navy said. It added that several ships had tried to use an “unauthorised route” and had ignored warnings to correct their course. The strait would remain closed “until further notice” and until “the end of US interference in this region”.

Acts of aggression against Iran “will be met with a severe response, and new enemy bases in the region will be targeted”, the navy warned.

Diplomatic contacts continued as the closure was announced.

Senior US officials said on Friday that Washington wanted Iran to make a public commitment to stop attacks on ships, open every lane through the strait and allow vessels to pass without tolls.

President Donald Trump said the US and Iran had agreed to continue negotiations despite an escalation in hostilities during the week.

At the same time, he declared that the ceasefire had ended.

A senior Iranian source told Reuters that Iran, the US, Qatar and Pakistan had agreed to negotiate in a telephone call that mediators were trying to arrange for Saturday, while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was visiting Oman.

It was not immediately clear whether the effort succeeded.

In Oman, Araghchi and Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi exchanged “views on appropriate mechanisms for the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz”, according to a statement from Iran’s foreign minister. Oman’s state news agency later said Omani and Iranian negotiators would continue discussions “at the technical and political levels”.

Qatari mediators had held talks in Tehran on Friday.

Oman is seeking to mediate an end to the war, which has destabilised the Gulf and raised prices around the world since the US and Israel launched air strikes on Iran on 28 February.

Before the conflict, about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passed through the strait.

Iran’s effective blockade has since driven up energy prices and fuelled global inflation.

CNN reported on Saturday that Oman had drawn up a draft proposal under which ships could navigate freely through the southern corridor in Omani territorial waters.

Vessels using the northern corridor through Iranian territorial waters would need Tehran’s prior approval, although no tolls would be charged.

The White House and the US State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the report.

Tensions had intensified earlier in the week after three Qatari and Saudi commercial tankers came under fire.

The US then struck Iranian sites, and Iran responded by striking US military sites in Gulf states.

Araghchi accused Washington of violating the ceasefire agreement. After the vessels were hit, the US on Tuesday revoked the licence authorising sales of Iranian crude.

“There can only be mutual compliance,” Araghchi wrote on X on Friday.

Iran has not claimed responsibility for the attacks on the ships.

Analysts, however, say Tehran uses such actions to gain leverage in negotiations.

The renewed confrontation cast further doubt on an interim agreement intended to end the conflict. It pushed oil prices higher, creating a politically sensitive issue for Trump ahead of November’s congressional elections.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to continue ‘talks.’ We have agreed to do so, but the United States has stated to them, in no uncertain terms, that the Cease Fire is OVER!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday.

In a separate development, Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, issued a written statement on Saturday threatening vengeance for the death of his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on 28 February.

The message was released to mark Thursday’s funeral ceremonies for the former leader, which Mojtaba Khamenei did not attend.

It said the vengeance would take place regardless of what happened to Iran.

“We pledge to avenge the blood of the martyred leader and all the martyrs,” it said.

Trump said on Friday that he had ordered the US military to be prepared to launch thousands of missiles against Iran if Tehran attempted to assassinate him.

The Wall Street Journal and other US media reported during the week that Israel had shared intelligence with Washington, indicating that Iran had recently devised a plan to assassinate Trump.

A huge crowd of mourners packed a courtyard during Thursday’s funeral ceremonies, with some carrying banners that read: “We Will Kill Trump.”

Source: Reuters