Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said on Thursday it had closed the Strait of Hormuz to vessel traffic and hit two “violating vessels” that attempted an illegal passage through the waterway, according to SepahNews.
The claim raises immediate risk for shipping through one of the world’s key energy chokepoints, but the vessels were not identified by name, flag, owner, cargo or IMO number.
Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters also said the strait was closed to all vessels, including oil tankers and commercial ships, and warned that any vessel attempting to transit would be targeted.
US Central Command said no US warships had been hit in the Strait of Hormuz and that commercial vessels continued to move in and out of the waterway.
Three LNG carriers — Lebrethah, Rasheeda and Marigold — exited the Strait of Hormuz with transponders off and were bound for destinations in Asia. The exact timing of the transits was unclear.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is an Iranian military organisation whose naval arm operates in the Persian Gulf and around the Strait of Hormuz. Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters is Iran’s top joint military command structure.
US Central Command is a unified combatant command of the US Department of Defense.