The IRGC Navy warned all vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday evening not to approach, stating "your safety will be in danger." The warning was attributed to the IRGC Navy commander.
The IRGC Navy escalated its warnings in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday evening, issuing a new threat that all vessels approaching the waterway "will be in danger." The statement, circulated via Telegram, follows earlier warnings and action this week: at 17:10 Jerusalem on Saturday, The Zioneer reported the IRGC had issued a stern warning and redeployed remotely operated explosive boats in the Persian Gulf. The current dispatch refines that, attributing the warning to an IRGC Navy commander and explicitly framing civilian maritime traffic as at risk.
As The Zioneer reported on Friday June 19 at 13:47 Jerusalem, warning shots were fired in the strait, with radio communications in which the IRGC told vessels not to approach. That report came from a single Iranian journalist source and remained preliminary. On Saturday June 13 at 00:21 Jerusalem, the desk reported that the IRGC fired a warning shot at a vessel violating navigation rules, with explosions heard on Qeshm Island and in Jask — also from single sources and preliminary. The threat of kinetic action was further illustrated by a report on June 13 that the IRGC launched a missile at a vessel attempting to cross the strait.
Background context: the wider maritime standoff has included a US Navy warning in Persian to IRGC vessels near the strait on June 18 (single source, unverified), and an Iranian channel's reiterated threat to launch missiles if the US Navy remains in Iranian territorial waters (June 5). The IRGC has also issued warnings to Israel over strikes in southern Lebanon (June 19), though those are not directly linked to the strait.
The latest warning remains unattributed to a named commander; the desk has not independently confirmed the identity cited by Israeli media. The IRGC's deployment of remotely operated explosive boats was reported earlier on Saturday but their current operational status is not independently verified.
3 developments
- DevelopingWarning shots fired in Strait of Hormuz; IRGC warns vessels to keep clear
- DevelopingIRGC Navy commander threatens to attack hostile warships in Strait of Hormuz
- DevelopingUS Navy warns IRGC vessels in Persian: 'halt or we attack' near Strait of Hormuz
- DevelopingIRGC fires warning shot at vessel as blasts reported in southern Iran
Source and signal
- Internal intake