The naval forces of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that the Strait of Hormuz is closed and vessels should not approach it, according to a statement by the Iranian Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters. The IRGC Navy declared the waterway off-limits to shipping, escalating the standoff over the strategic chokepoint.
The IRGC Navy announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday evening, with the Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters — the IRGC's central command — issuing the formal statement and ordering vessels to stay away. The announcement comes at 17:12 Jerusalem, shortly after a series of earlier closure declarations by various IRGC bodies throughout the afternoon, each citing Israeli operations in Lebanon and alleged U.S. violations of the ceasefire understanding. The IRGC Navy's directive formalizes the enforcement mechanism for the closure, which had been declared in general terms by other commands earlier today.
The thread began at 16:12 Jerusalem when multiple versions of a closure announcement emerged nearly simultaneously from different Iranian military channels — first the IRGC itself, then the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, and finally the IRGC Navy. Each iteration provided additional attribution: initial reports cited a single IRGC statement; by 16:12, the Khatam al-Anbiya command, Iran's supreme unified military command, had issued an official order. The IRGC Navy's announcement at 17:12 is the third organ to declare the closure, lending the policy a degree of institutional backing that earlier statements lacked. As The Zioneer reported earlier today, the IRGC had redeployed remotely operated explosive boats in the Persian Gulf and turned ships back in the strait, with an analyst suggesting the maneuver was intended to prevent vessels from striking naval mines.
As The Zioneer reported on June 8, the IRGC Navy commander had previously threatened to attack hostile warships in the strait. On June 10, following reported U.S. strikes on coastal sites, the IRGC declared the strait closed and threatened to attack any vessel attempting passage. A newly-formed Iranian authority on June 11 stated the waterway would remain closed until further notice, and the Iranian chief of staff on June 12 claimed full Iranian control over the strait, asserting no vessel could pass without Tehran's permission.
It remains unclear whether the IRGC Navy will physically enforce the ban by intercepting or engaging commercial traffic. No U.S. or international response has been reported yet, and the Iranian statements have not specified a timeline for reopening.
12 developments
- StrongIran reportedly closes Strait of Hormuz as IDF braces for multi-day fighting
- StrongIranian state media calls on foreign ministry to close Strait of Hormuz over Israel's Lebanon presence
- ConfirmedNew Iranian body declares Strait of Hormuz closed until further notice
- DevelopingIRGC Navy announces complete closure of Strait of Hormuz
Source and signal
- Internal intake