Parisa Hafezi and Steve Holland
Dubai/Washington: Iran on Sunday said it closed the Strait of Hormuz after a vessel travelled on an unapproved route and was struck, warning that any retaliation over the incident would be met with a “severe response”.
“A vessel that had jeopardised maritime security by switching off its systems was struck and brought to a halt,” the Navy of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement, without giving any details about the ship.
The statement said several ships attempted to move through the waterway on an “unauthorised route” and disregarded warnings to correct their course.
The strait, the IRGC said, was closed “until further notice” and until “the end of US interference in this region”. Acts of aggression against Iran “will be met with a severe response, and new enemy bases in the region will be targeted”, the Navy said.
The United States was demanding that Iran publicly state it would stop attacks on ships in the strait – and that all lanes would be open with no tolls through the waterway, senior US officials told reporters on Friday.
US President Donald Trump said on Friday the US and Iran had agreed to continue talks despite an escalation of hostilities this week, while also declaring an end to the ceasefire.
More to come
Reuters
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