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Iranian military forces have asserted full control over the Strait of Hormuz, declaring the vital maritime corridor closed to non-compliant commercial traffic after a tanker was damaged and set ablaze by a naval mine.
Reporting on statements issued by the Iranian Army Navy Public Relations and senior commanders from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), state broadcaster IRIB confirmed that an unauthorised vessel suffered severe damage in the area. "This morning, a tanker travelling in a restricted and unsafe area east of the Strait of Hormuz was damaged and caught fire after hitting a naval mine, preventing it from moving," the Army Navy Public Relations statement said. Iranian naval authorities explicitly linked the incident to navigation violations and cautioned commercial shipping against relying on security assurances from Washington. "The Strait of Hormuz is closed to violating ships that intend to pass through prohibited and unsafe areas without coordination and relying on the lies of the US President," the navy statement added. "These uncoordinated movements in high-risk areas pose and will pose serious risks to the safety of vessels and crews." Reinforcing the closure, senior IRGC military officials stated that transit through the strategic choke point remains strictly conditioned on Tehrans demands being met. "The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until Iran's conditions are met, under the control of the warriors of Islam," Major General Yazidi said, according to IRIB. A Deputy Commander of the IRGC echoed the stance, asserting Iran's military position in the region. "The Iranian people are a warlike people, and they made the enemy beg for a ceasefire," the official said. "The Strait of Hormuz is still closed, under the control of the warriors of Islam, and until the conditions set forth by the Islamic Republic of Iran are met, the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed, under the control of the warriors of Islam." Earlier in the day, IRGC dismissed claims by US Central Command (CENTCOM) regarding minesweeping operations in the Strait of Hormuz, demanding concrete proof rather than media statements, state news agency IRNA reported. In an official statement published Thursday, IRGC Deputy Head of Public Relations and Spokesperson Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi directly addressed US military leadership, drawing a parallel between current regional maritime tensions and historical shifts in global power dynamics. Child-killing CENTCOM! The 1956 Suez Crisis lifted the curtain on the limits of British power; history turns at strategic chokepoints, Mohebbi declared, according to IRNA. Prove the claim of minesweeping the Strait of Hormuz with independent evidence, not with statements! Mohebbi emphasised that control over the strategic waterway is dictated by physical military presence on the ground rather than digital narratives. The reality of the Strait of Hormuz is forged in the sky, on land, and at sea; not in cyberspace and US media war rooms, he added. Earlier on Tuesday (local time), US President Donald Trump said Iran had sought a deal with Washington but suggested that Tehran was delaying negotiations, adding that he would decide when to end the ongoing confrontation. While returning from his rallies in Texas, addressing reporters, Trump said, It's a question of when do I want to end it... They've wanted to make a deal, but they like tapping it along. Maybe they're waiting for the election or something -- but that's not gonna help them." (ANI)
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