Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that the Strait of Hormuz was closed until further notice after it intercepted a vessel accused of breaking Iranian navigation rules. US Central Command disputed the declaration, saying commercial traffic continued and American forces were prepared to protect passage.
The IRGC said several ships had tried to use routes it had not approved despite repeated warnings. According to its statement, forces fired warning shots before stopping one vessel that allegedly switched off its tracking equipment. The supplied evidence referred to warning fire and an interception, rather than confirmed shots striking two separate ships.
Iran's force linked any reopening to an end to what it called US intervention in the region and threatened a severe response to further military action. The declaration followed attacks on commercial vessels and renewed exchanges between American and Iranian forces around the strait.
Washington said the waterway remained open. Central Command stated that Iran did not control Hormuz and that ships were moving through it. Those claims established a direct dispute over operational reality: Tehran asserted a closure, while the US military said navigation had not stopped. Independent traffic data was not included in the supplied packet.
The United States launched strikes on Iranian missile, air-defence and naval targets after an attack on a container ship left it burning and one crew member missing. Iran answered with attacks against US-aligned Gulf countries, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan and Oman. Kuwait reported damage to border posts and an offshore oil platform, with one worker hurt.
Iran said US action had undermined recent diplomacy and made shipping less secure. The latest fighting followed the collapse of a ceasefire and a June memorandum of understanding. Tehran accused Washington of violating that arrangement through sanctions and additional force deployments; the US blamed Iran's attacks on commercial traffic.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for both countries to halt attacks and resume negotiations. Oman, which had hosted discussions over the strait, formally protested after an attack on its territory. The widening exchange showed that a confrontation focused on shipping could quickly spread across neighbouring states and military installations.
The July 12 announcement was therefore a contested claim of closure, not proof that every vessel had stopped. What was clear was the IRGC's attempt to enforce its own routing orders, the US rejection of that authority and the renewed military risk facing ships through one of the world's most important energy corridors.
Because Hormuz lies between Iran and Oman, unilateral navigation rules are inherently contested. The reports did not show a jointly accepted closure notice or internationally recognised rerouting plan. Mariners instead faced incompatible instructions backed by armed forces, which increased the danger of miscalculation during any attempted transit.
