Iran Closes Hormuz Strait to All Vessels After Second Night of US Strikes

Iran’s joint military command declared the Strait of Hormuz closed to all traffic late on Wednesday, warning that any vessel attempting to cross would be fired upon. “The Strait of Hormuz has been completely shut to all types of vessels, including oil tankers and commercial ships,” the Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters stated, citing the “unstable situation” caused by new American strikes on southern Iran. Washington immediately rejected the claim: US Central Command posted that commercial ships were continuing to transit the strait in both directions, setting the stage for a dangerous information war at one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints.

The closure announcement came hours after American forces launched a second consecutive night of what they called “self-defence strikes” against Iranian military surveillance, communication and air-defence sites. The escalation was ignited earlier this week by the downing of a US Apache helicopter near the strait, which President Trump blamed on Tehran. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responded by firing drones and missiles at eighteen US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait, while also attacking two commercial vessels that attempted to enter the strait and targeting US Navy ships nearby. Kuwait closed its airspace, air-raid sirens sounded in Bahrain, and Washington urged citizens in Jordan and Iraq to seek shelter. Oil prices surged on fears of a prolonged disruption to the roughly twenty per cent of global crude that passes through Hormuz.

Viewed from Tehran, the closure is a defensive reaction to “American atrocities” in Hormozgan province; IRGC commanders warned that any ship approaching the strait would be considered a collaborator with the enemy. From Washington, the narrative is starkly different: US military officials insist the waterway remains open and that the strikes are necessary to degrade Iran’s ability to threaten regional shipping and American forces. Analysts in London note that the competing claims are themselves a form of brinkmanship, designed to shape perceptions of control over the strait. Even a partial or temporary blockage would test the global energy market’s resilience and could invite international naval intervention.

Diplomatically, the ground has shifted decisively. Trump accused Iran of “playing us for suckers” in stalled negotiations and threatened further attacks unless a peace deal is signed. The fragile ceasefire agreed in April, after a three-month war that began with massive US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran, now lies in ruins. Regional capitals from Moscow to Jakarta are watching anxiously: Russian media highlighted the IRGC’s ultimatum, while outlets in India and Southeast Asia underscored the risks to energy security. Whether this spiral can be arrested hinges on whether Washington’s calibrated pressure campaign can force Tehran to the table, or whether both sides will continue to test the limits of a conflict that has already drawn in bases across the Gulf.