Washington: US Central Command (CENTCOM) said commercial ships are continuing to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, contrary to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which had previously announced a complete closure of the vital waterway. CENTCOM added that no US warships were attacked, denying Iranian media reports that claimed an attack on a US vessel in the strait. Iran has not commented on the situation.
The clash erupted on Thursday morning between Iranian and US forces in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman, as the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Command, Iran’s main military command, declared a complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Initial reports indicated that US ships near the Strait of Hormuz were targeted by missiles and drones fired by Iranian armed forces.
Explosions were also heard in the districts of Sirik and Minab and the port city of Bandar Abbas, all in Hormuz province, as well as on the islands of Qom and Hengham. Meanwhile, air defense systems were activated west of the capital Tehran and in the southern province of Fars, according to the semi-official Mehr news agency.
Following these incidents, the Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters said the Strait of Hormuz was closed to all types of vessels, including oil tankers and commercial vessels, due to security threats in the waterway.
The headquarters cited continued “malicious activity” and a US strike early that day in Iran’s southern Hormuz province, saying any vessel attempting to pass through the strait would be targeted.
The developments came after a statement by the US Central Command on the social media platform X, stating that its forces had begun “additional defensive strikes” against multiple targets in Iran in response to what it called Iran’s “unprovoked and ongoing aggression.”
Translated by Chouk Bora
