- Centcom claims Trump ordered strikes to degrade Iran’s capabilities.
- Iranian IRGC Navy announces closure of Hormuz “until further notice”.
- Tehran has warned that any act of aggression would provoke a harsh response.
The US military announced on Saturday that it had launched a new series of strikes against Iran, after Tehran “openly attacked” a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz.
The latest strikes, which began at 7:15 p.m. in Washington (11:15 p.m. GMT), took place “after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces blatantly attacked” a Cypriot-flagged container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz, US Central Command said in a statement.
“The United States is imposing a heavy price by continuing to degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting freely through the strait,” Centcom said, adding that the strikes were being carried out at the direction of President Donald Trump.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said simply: “Iran made a bad choice. Now they are paying.
Separately, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said the Strait of Hormuz would be closed “until further notice”, state media reported.
Guards fired warning shots at a ship taking an unauthorized route, according to reports.
The move threatens to further complicate efforts to salvage U.S.-Iran negotiations after the two sides exchanged strikes in recent days.
The future of the Strait of Hormuz poses a major obstacle to a final deal: Tehran insists it will control shipping in the waterway and Washington demands unrestricted shipping.
“Double Route Hormuz Expedition Plan”
Araqchi and Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi met in Oman to exchange “views on appropriate mechanisms for the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz,” according to a statement from the Iranian foreign minister. Reuters reported.
Oman’s official news agency said Omani and Iranian negotiators would continue negotiations “at the technical and political levels.”
CNN reported on Saturday that Oman had presented a draft proposal for the strait, including free navigation in its southern corridor in Omani territorial waters. The plan called for ships transiting the northern corridor through Iranian territorial waters to obtain prior approval from Iran, although no tolls would be imposed, CNN said.
The White House and State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the matter. CNN report.
Washington is demanding that Tehran publicly declare that it will end attacks on shipping in the strait – and that all lanes will be opened without tolls, senior US officials said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi accused the United States of violating the ceasefire agreement. “There can only be mutual respect,” he wrote on X on Friday.
The United States on Tuesday revoked the license allowing the sale of Iranian crude after three Qatari and Saudi commercial oil tankers came under fire earlier this week, prompting the United States to strike Iranian sites. Iran then struck US military sites in the Gulf states.
