TEHRAN — Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy Command announced on Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz has been formally closed with immediate effect, declaring the waterway shut until Washington unconditionally lifts its naval blockade of Iranian ports. The declaration, broadcast by Iran’s state-run IRIB broadcaster, marks one of the most consequential escalations in the Persian Gulf in decades, with direct implications for approximately 20% of the world’s oil, petroleum products, and liquefied natural gas supplies.
“As a result of the violation of the ceasefire regime, the Strait of Hormuz will be closed from the evening of today [Saturday], until the US lifts the naval blockade,” the IRGC Navy stated in its official communiqué. The command further issued an unambiguous warning that any vessel attempting to approach the now-closed waterway would be treated as acting in “cooperation with the enemy” — a designation that carries the explicit threat of military strikes.
The closure follows a naval blockade imposed by the United States on 13 April, when the US Navy moved to interdict all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports on both sides of the Strait of Hormuz. Washington has sought to frame the blockade in selective terms, asserting that non-Iranian vessels remain free to transit the strait provided they refrain from paying any toll to Tehran. Iranian authorities have not formally announced the imposition of such a toll, though discussions to that effect have been reported at senior governmental levels.
The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow chokepoint between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, serves as the primary maritime corridor for energy exports from Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Iraq. Its closure — even temporarily — is widely regarded by energy analysts as a systemic shock capable of triggering severe disruptions to global oil markets and supply chains. Iran’s Vice President had earlier signalled that control of the strait would be “secured one way or another,” underscoring the strategic resolve behind Saturday’s announcement.
The IRGC’s declaration represents a direct invocation of Iran’s sovereign right to respond to what it characterises as a violation of an existing ceasefire arrangement, framing the US blockade not merely as an act of economic coercion but as a breach of international agreements. The confrontation places the international community — and particularly Global South nations heavily dependent on Gulf energy exports — at the epicentre of a rapidly deteriorating crisis with no immediate diplomatic resolution in sight.
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