War in the Middle East: Iran guarantees the closure of the Strait of Hormuz "until further notice"

The Iranian government agency responsible for regulating maritime traffic has assured that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed “until further notice” due to “tensions caused by American forces”.

The Iranian maritime authority confirmed, this Thursday, June 11, the total closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic passage for hydrocarbons, after an announcement to this effect from the army, in response to the strikes carried out by the United States during the night.

“Due to the tensions generated by the aggression of American forces in the region (…), the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until further notice,” announced the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), the body responsible for managing this sea route.

Iran has locked Hormuz since the start of the conflict on February 28, but until now, the Iranian armed forces authorized the passage of around twenty ships daily in this area.

An assertion denied by the United States

Earlier in the day, the Iranian army had already warned that it would target any ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz. “Any ship transiting through the Strait of Hormuz will be targeted,” announced the Iranian general staff cited by the Tasnim agency, adding that this strait was now “completely closed to all types of ships” after new American bombings against Iran.

The Iranian navy, cited by state television Irib and the Mehr agency, announced for its part that “two ships which attempted to illegally cross the Strait of Hormuz were struck”.

This assertion was later denied by the United States. “Commercial ships continue to transit the Strait of Hormuz this evening,” Centcom assured on X.

The United States carried out new bombings against Iran at dawn on Thursday, which announced responses against military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain and promised to target all ships venturing into the Strait of Hormuz.

The strikes, which the US military said targeted “Iranian military surveillance facilities, communications systems and air defense sites across the country”, were launched after Donald Trump accused Tehran of procrastinating in the negotiations to stop the war in the Middle East.