US retaliates after Iran closes Strait of Hormuz ‘until further notice’
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The news: The US has launched a third round of strikes this week against Iran following comments from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy on Sunday morning (AEST) that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz “until further notice and until the end of US interventions”.
The context: Around 9am (AEST), US Central Command forces at the direction of US President Donald Trump began fresh strikes on Iran.
The US Central Command said in a statement the launch followed “blatant” attacks from Iran forces on “M/V GFS Galaxy, a Cyprus-flagged container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz”.
“A civilian crew member is missing and the vessel is unable to continue the journey due to an onboard fire and significant engineroom damage,” the statement said.
“Iran was provided yet another opportunity to demonstrate adherence to the Memorandum of Understanding after being held accountable for earlier attacks on commercial vessels but has again failed.
“In response, the United States is imposing a heavy cost by continuing to degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the strait.”
Reuters reported on Sunday morning, citing Iran’s state media, that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said it had closed the Strait until further notice after firing a warning shot at a vessel attempting to transit along an unapproved route.
It also warned of a “severe response” if the US used the incident as a reason to retaliate.
The sources: Reuters, US Central Command
