West Asia war LIVE: U.S. launches strikes on Iran after attack on civilian vessel in Strait of Hormuz
Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz following a confrontation with a Cyprus-flagged container ship, prompting retaliatory military strikes from the United States. The incident has escalated regional tensions and disrupted a fragile ceasefire in West Asia.
Why it matters
The closure of this critical maritime chokepoint threatens global energy supplies and risks a broader military conflict between Iran and the United States.
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.
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