In a strange turn of events, Iran’s military has said it will close the Strait of Hormuz in response to the US maintaining its blockade, Iranian state media reports
Iran’s foreign minister said on Friday the Strait of Hormuz would “completely open” to commercial ships for the remainder of the ceasefire
Shortly after, Donald Trump said the strait was “completely open and ready for business” but that the US blockade of Iranian ports would continue until a peace deal is reached.
The Fars News Agency, which is linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the Iranian Students News Agency and state broadcaster IRIB cite a statement from the IRGC saying that the strait will return “to its previous state”, with armed forces controlling the area.
Earlier, some shipping vessels were transiting the waterway , but it’s unclear how much marine traffic has made it through the critical shipping lane.
The military statement accused the US of “piracy”, saying that its “so-called blockade” amounts to maritime robbery. Iran previously said that it would shut the strait if the US continued its blockade of its ports.
