The IRGC's Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters issued a statement mandating all oil tankers and commercial vessels use Iran's designated route through the Strait of Hormuz, warning that any deviation will be met with an immediate and decisive response. The statement also threatens to crush any US intervention in the strait.
**Iran escalates Strait of Hormuz threat level as Khamenei's funeral approaches**
The IRGC's Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters today issued its most explicit operational directive yet for the Strait of Hormuz, effectively declaring sole Iranian sovereignty over the waterway and mandating exclusive use of Iran's designated transit route for all oil tankers and commercial vessels. The statement warns that any vessel deviating from the prescribed path will face an immediate and decisive military response, and that any US interference will be considered an attack on Iranian sovereignty to be "crushed" by the armed forces.
The move comes as Iran raises its threat posture ahead of the approaching funeral of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei — an event that tends to concentrate Iranian decision-making and risk-taking. The Khatam al-Anbiya statement frames the presence of US manned and unmanned combat aircraft over the strait as destabilizing and a threat to regional stability.
As The Zioneer has documented over recent weeks, this is part of a steadily escalating Iranian campaign to assert full control over the strategic chokepoint. Earlier attacks on cargo vessels and repeated IRGC declarations of a blockade have met with a US Navy escort operation, but Tehran shows no sign of backing down. The current directive leaves no ambiguity: Iran's armed forces claim they will open fire on any vessel that does not follow their lane.
The Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters oversees all IRGC ground and naval operations; this is a high-level operational order, not a routine threat. It remains unclear whether the international community or the US Navy will alter shipping protocols in response.
2 developments
- DevelopingVessels continue transiting Omani shipping lane in Strait of Hormuz despite Iranian threats
- StrongIranian source threatens to attack any vessel crossing the Strait of Hormuz
- DevelopingIran threatens new Omani shipping lane near Hormuz as traffic plunges
- DevelopingIRGC Navy commander threatens to attack hostile warships in Strait of Hormuz
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