The navy of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says it has completely closed the Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic, according to a single source. The announcement follows a prior IRGC declaration of a formal blockade earlier Saturday.
**Update 18:31 Jerusalem** — The IRGC Navy has escalated its posture to a complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz, announcing that all maritime traffic through the waterway has been halted. The declaration, reported by a single source, upgrades the earlier formal blockade of the strait announced at 17:52 Jerusalem. Just over an hour earlier, at 17:10 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported that IRGC vessels were turning ships back in the strait — a step one analyst suggested may have been aimed at preventing vessels from hitting naval mines. The extent of enforcement of the new full closure and the status of any shipping attempting to pass remain unverified.
At 17:53 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported the IRGC's Khatam Al-Anbiya' Headquarters had formally announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, citing continued IDF ceasefire violations in southern Lebanon and U.S. failure to enforce the terms. That declaration was accompanied by a separate Hezbollah threat to fire missiles into Israel if Israeli strikes continue. Earlier, at 16:13 Jerusalem, The Zioneer published an article linking Tehran's blockade of the vital oil artery to the same Lebanon ceasefire grievances. The thread has thus moved through escalating IRGC actions this evening, from threatening to turn ships back, to a formal blockade, to a complete closure — all reported from a single channel and as yet independently unverified.
As The Zioneer previously reported, the IRGC has maintained a continuous naval presence in the Strait of Hormuz for weeks, with satellite imagery suggesting some 80 fast attack craft deployed at any given time and full crew rotations every 12 hours. The move is attributed to Tehran's stated aim of enforcing tight control over the strait to prevent unauthorized passage. On Jun 6, The Zioneer reported that the IRGC Navy commander had threatened to target any hostile warships in the strait. On Jun 18, The Zioneer reported that a U.S. Navy force had broadcast a warning in Persian to IRGC vessels near the strait, saying: 'The Islamic Republic has no control over the Strait of Hormuz. Abort your mission immediately or U.S. Navy forces will engage your vessels' — a report from a single source.
The scope of the new complete closure remains unverified by any independent or maritime tracking source. The United States and Israel have not yet issued formal responses to the latest escalation. The Zioneer has not confirmed whether any shipping is currently being prevented from transiting the strait, nor whether the IRGC has deployed additional assets to enforce the closure.
2 developments
- DevelopingUS Navy warns IRGC vessels in Persian: 'halt or we attack' near Strait of Hormuz
- DevelopingIRGC Navy commander threatens to attack hostile warships in Strait of Hormuz
- DevelopingIRGC turns ships back in Strait of Hormuz, analyst suggests mine avoidance
- ConfirmedNew Iranian body declares Strait of Hormuz closed until further notice
Source and signal
- Internal intake