Due to the exchange of fire with the United States, the Strait of Hormuz “will be closed until further notice,” Iran’s new strait authority said on Thursday.
The authority added that “applicants who have received a transit permit are asked to be patient and await further guidance from the PGSA.”
After the US launched fresh strikes on Iran Wednesday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the strait will now be “closed to all vessels.”
US Central Command pushed back on the Iranian claim, saying that commercial ships continue to transit in and out of the strait – which the IRGC denied.
Tehran had previously insisted that the waterway was open, but only for ships that coordinated passage with Iranian authorities. The US has warned ship operators not to cooperate with the PGSA.
The critical waterway has been choked off for months because of the war, with visible traffic through the strait estimated to be just 15 percent of pre-war levels, according to JPMorgan.
