The announcement follows IRGC claims on Friday and Saturday that two supertankers, each carrying more than 2 million barrels of crude oil, caught fire after hitting naval mines on unauthorized routes with US military support. Both the IRGC and Iran's regular Navy declared that "the Strait of Hormuz is closed," warning that vessels violating Iranian rules will burn and that countries must coordinate with Iranian forces for safe passage.
US Central Command has rejected Tehran's claims that it controls the waterway or is hitting vessels with mines, stating that primary shipping lanes remain clear of mines and that an IRGC projectile, rather than a mine, struck the 2,500-container Singapore-flagged ship GFS Pride before it sank under tow on Wednesday. While CENTCOM said US forces helped about 400 merchant ships and tankers carrying more than 100 million barrels of crude transit the strait over seven days, UK Maritime Trade Operations reported that traffic sits 70% below prewar levels and that a majority of targeted vessels are refusing to report strikes after 12 logged attacks in the week through Oct. 16.