Iran closes Strait of Hormuz, launches fresh strikes on US bases in Middle East

Iran says it has closed the Strait of Hormuz after its
forces fired a naval cruise missile at a vessel it accused of sailing through
an unauthorised route.

 

According to the BBC, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
(IRGC) said the vessel was struck with warning fire and stopped after ignoring
repeated instructions.

The US thereafter launched a fresh wave of strikes in
response to Iranian forces hitting the ship.

In response to the American strikes, Iran’s IRGC said the
waterway was closed until further notice and launched attacks on US bases and
allies in the region.

In a statement published by Tasnim News Agency, an outlet
affiliated with the IRGC, the military accused foreign powers of interfering in
the strategic international waterway through what it described as unauthorised
shipping activities.

The IRGC said the latest incident prompted the decision to
shut the strait.

“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 IRGC warned that any US response to the closure would be
met with “severity”, adding that military bases in the region would be targeted
in the event of what it described as further aggression.

Meanwhile, Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliamentary
speaker and the country’s chief negotiator with the US, said on X that the “era
of one-sided deals is OVER”.

“We told you: keep your word or pay the price. Reality is
knocking,” Ghalibaf wrote.

In June, the United States and Iran reached a deal to end
the Middle East war on all fronts including Lebanon, and reopen the vital
shipping route, but offered little indication on the thorny question of
Tehran’s nuclear programme.

Washington and Islamabad said the agreement was to be signed
in Switzerland, signalling what would be a major breakthrough to ending months
of war that have taken thousands of lives and roiled energy markets.

However, the peace deal has been fraught with one setback
after another, with Iran and US forces carrying out reprisal strikes in that
span.

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