Iran’s semi-official Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps backed news agency, Tasnim, on Tuesday announced that Tehran was once again closing the Strait of Hormuz completely “until further notice,” tightening its previously eased restrictions on account of a “recent attack by the US-Israeli enemy.”
“After the recent attack by the U.S.-Israeli enemy, a new water route had been designed for the controlled passage of commercial vessels. However, following the violation of the ceasefire, these channels have been declared closed until further notice,” Tasnim said, adding that the closure would remain in effect “until the necessary guarantees are provided for the complete lifting of the naval blockade against Iran.”
While it did not explain what the “recent attack” was, the report came after US forces targeted and seized an Iranian commercial vessel over the weekend in the Arabian Sea, as part of its ongoing naval blockade of Iranian ports and ships.
According to the Department of Defence, the US military on Tuesday had interdicted another Iran-linked ship in a different area, due to its violation of the blockade.
Issuing a statement, the Pentagon said that the military had intercepted and boarded “stateless sanctioned M/T Tifani” crude oil tanker in the Indo-Pacific Command’s area of responsibility, adding that the operation onboard was conducted “without incident.”
