Tehran, Apr 18 (UNI) Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz once again with the Iranian Armed Forces saying control of the strategic Strait has now “returned to its previous state” because of the continuing Naval blockade of Iranian ports by the US.
Iran’s Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters emphasised that the Strait is under strict control of the Iranian Armed Forces and will remain in its previous operational state.
(The Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters is Iran’s supreme unified combatant command, responsible for planning and coordinating joint military operations between the IRGC and the regular Army (Artesh). It reports directly to the Supreme Leader to oversee operational command and strategic defence.)
According to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, the spokesman of al-Anbia Central Headquarters said in a statement that, in line with previous understandings reached during negotiations conducted in good faith, Iran agreed to allow a limited number of oil tankers and commercial vessels to pass through the Strait in a ”managed manner.”
However, the United States, due to repeated breaches of commitments and a history of misconduct, has continued acts of “piracy” and “sea robbery” under the pretext of what it calls a blockade, the spokesman said.
”As a result, control over the Strait of Hormuz has been returned to its previous state, and this strategic waterway is under strict management and control by the Armed Forces,” the spokesman added.
The spokesman further said that until the US ends restrictions on the free movement of vessels from Iran to their destinations and from elsewhere to Iran, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will remain tightly controlled and unchanged from its previous status, Tasnim reported.
Earlier Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the strait is “completely open” to all commercial vessels, ”in line with the ceasefire in Lebanon” and “on the coordinated route as already announced”.
US President Donald Trump claimed earlier on Saturday that Iran has agreed to never close the Strait of Hormuz again. However, Iran warned that it will close the Strait if the US continues its Naval blockade of Iranian ports.
”It (Hormuz) will no longer be used as a weapon against the world. A great and brilliant day for the world,’’ Trump said.
Iran’s Parliament Speaker, Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, said on X the passage through the Strait will be conducted with Tehran’s authorisation.
Iran’s warning came hours after US President Donald Trump said on his social media platform that the Strait of Hormuz is ”completely open” and ready for business but the Naval blockade of Iranian ports will remain in full force.
”The Strait of Hormuz is completely open and ready for business and full passage. But the naval blockade will remain in force and effect as it pertains to Iran only until such time as our transaction with Iran is 100 per cent complete,” Trump had said.
In a related development, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy, in a statement, announced a new order about the passage of vessels through the Strait.
According to the new order ”civilian vessels will only pass through Iran’s designated route, military vessels will still be prohibited from passing through the strait, movements are only permitted with the permission of the IRGC Navy and any movement takes place in line with the agreement on the period of silence in the battlefield and after the implementation of the Lebanese ceasefire.’
