The announcement comes as tensions between Tehran and Washington continue to escalate. On Sunday, the United States carried out military strikes against Iran, prompting Tehran to retaliate with attacks targeting US-linked military facilities in Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain, and Qatar.
Iran’s authority responsible for managing navigation in the Persian Gulf said passage through the Strait of Hormuz would remain suspended until security and stability are restored in the region.
According to Iranian officials, the decision was taken in response to what Tehran described as US military aggression. They said commercial shipping would only resume after security conditions improve and the necessary authorizations are issued.
Despite Iran’s announcement, President Trump said on Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz remains open to international trade, even as fighting between the two countries continues.
Speaking in an interview with NBC News, Trump said commercial ships are still able to transit the waterway safely.
The US military also stated that vessels continue to move through the Strait, arguing that Iran does not have the capability to fully control or permanently shut down the entire waterway.
The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and serves as one of the world’s most critical energy corridors, with around one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies passing through it each day.
Mohsen Rezaee, a senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, said the Strait of Hormuz is one of the country’s most valuable strategic assets, describing it as more important than many powerful weapons and vowing that Iran would continue to defend it.
The conflicting statements come as military hostilities between Iran and the United States continue. Washington says its forces are prepared to safeguard freedom of navigation in the Strait, while Tehran maintains that it is acting to protect its national interests and security.
Iran’s latest move follows several days of renewed US military strikes that began on Wednesday and Thursday and continued on Sunday. The escalation also comes after a series of attacks on oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Although Tehran has not officially claimed responsibility for those attacks, it previously stated that all ships using the waterway must comply with instructions issued by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and follow designated shipping routes.
