Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) closed the Strait of Hormuz after firing a warning shot at a vessel attempting to use an unauthorized route to cross the waterway, the IRGC’s Navy arm announced early Sunday morning local time.
In a statement posted on the Arabic-language website of the semi-official, IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency, the IRGC decried what it referred to as “outside interference from foreign powers” in the form of several shipping vessels attempting to cross the Strait via “unauthorized routes.”
The statement singled out a recent incident in which the IRGC fired warning shots at one such vessel.
“Given the precariousness that was caused by this unlawful interference by outside parties, the Strait of Hormuz is to be closed until further notice and until regional interference by the US ceases,” the statement reads. “No vessel or naval craft will be allowed to pass.”
The United States is demanding that Iran publicly state it will stop attacks on ships in the strait — and that all lanes will be open with no tolls through the waterway, senior U.S. officials stated on Friday.
U.S. President, Donald Trump, said on Friday that America and Iran had agreed to continue talks despite an escalation of hostilities this week, while also declaring an end to the ceasefire.
– CNN