Iranian Military: "Strait of Hormuz Fully Blockaded Until Further Notice"

▲ Strait of Hormuz

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran announced on July 12 (local time) that it is blockading the Strait of Hormuz, citing attempts by vessels to navigate through illegal routes.

In a statement released that day, the Revolutionary Guard claimed, "We had previously announced that we would respond firmly to foreign interference and the illegal designation of shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, and that the flow of traffic would be disrupted." They further alleged, "Despite this, our warnings were ignored just a few hours ago, and several vessels, instigated by foreign powers, attempted to navigate through unauthorized routes."

The statement continued, "We warned these vessels to correct their course and move to approved shipping lanes, but they ignored us. Due to the instability caused by illegal foreign intervention, the Strait of Hormuz is now fully blockaded until further notice and until U.S. involvement in the region ends."

Regarding one vessel that attempted to pass through an unauthorized route, the Revolutionary Guard explained that they fired warning shots to stop it, claiming the vessel had "turned off its systems and endangered maritime security."

The Revolutionary Guard also warned, "If the enemy makes a mistake or commits a new act of aggression against us using this incident—which they caused—as a pretext, we will respond powerfully, and new enemy bases in the region will become targets." They added, "The responsibility for the consequences of such intervention lies with the U.S., the Zionist (Israeli) enemies, and the countries that have provided bases for these threats."

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