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Bota
Symbolic image: Iran declares Hormuz closed after striking escorted tankersSymbolic image

Iran declares Hormuz closed after striking escorted tankers

5 sources

Iran said on Friday it struck two oil tankers crossing the Strait of Hormuz under US military escort and declared the waterway closed. CENTCOM says the strait remains open and that Iran does not control it.

What happened

  • The IRGC says the two tankers used an "undeclared route" and were brought to a halt; four others turned back.
  • Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority declared transit suspended, saying navigation requests will be reviewed only once stability returns.
  • CENTCOM reported 30 commercial vessels redirected since the 14 July blockade, two disabled, two boarded, plus 20 warships deployed.
  • Iran said suicide drones hit Ahmad Al Jaber Air Base in Kuwait; Kuwait's defence ministry reported drones downed, no casualties.
  • Kpler counted Hormuz crossings falling from 22 on Wednesday to five on Thursday, all five using Iran's scheme.

The view from outside

TASS relays only CENTCOM's blockade ledger without Iran's closure claim, while the Guardian ties the war to November's US midterms, citing a Reuters-Ipsos poll that puts support at one in three Americans, the lowest since fighting began.

What could happen next

  • Passage now depends on which of the two rival routes a ship takes, with each side striking the other's corridor.
  • The Pentagon is rethinking the scope of its Kuwait footprint, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials.
  • Trump gathered his cabinet at Camp David on Friday to chart a path forward; no outcome has been reported.
How the camps see it

  • Iran: Says its navy has full control of the strait, that transit is suspended because of US aggression, and that strikes on US bases in the Gulf will continue.

  • United States: Says the strait stays open for commercial transit, that Iran does not control it, and that its own naval blockade of Iranian ports enforces compliance.

Also involved

Kuwait

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