Iran announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday “until further notice” after firing on a vessel it said was taking an unauthorised route, prompting U.S. retaliatory strikes that further undermine an already shaky ceasefire.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Sunday they struck and stopped a vessel ignoring repeated instructions to use an approved shipping corridor, according to a statement carried by state news agency IRNA.

“Following this incident… the Strait of Hormuz will be closed until further notice and until the end of American interventions in this region and no vessels will be allowed to pass through,” the Guards said.

Although Iran called the strike on the ship “warning shots”, the US military said Tehran “blatantly attacked” a Cyprus-flagged container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

A crew member was missing, and the vessel had been disabled by fire and damage to its engine room, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

“In response, the United States is imposing a heavy cost by continuing to degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the strait,” it said on X.

-AFP