JUST IN: Iran announces complete closure of Strait of Hormuz

Iran has announced the complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz following fresh military strikes by the United States, warning that any vessel attempting to pass through the strategic waterway would be targeted.

Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya military command made the announcement on Thursday after reporting attacks on two vessels it said were trying to transit the strait.

“Any vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz will be targeted” the Khatam al-Anbiya command said, according to Tasnim news agency, adding that the strait is now “completely closed to all types of vessel”, following fresh US airstrikes against Iran.

The Iranian navy, quoted by state television IRIB and the Mehr agency, said that “two ships attempting to illegally pass through the Strait of Hormuz were hit”.

The latest development comes as the United States carried out another round of military strikes on Iranian targets, marking the second straight night of attacks ordered by President Donald Trump.

In a statement released by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the military said the operation struck multiple locations across Iran amid growing tensions between Washington and Tehran.

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“U.S. Central Command forces began launching additional self-defense strikes today at 5:15 p.m. ET against multiple targets in Iran at the Commander in Chief’s direction,” CENTCOM said in a post.

“The strikes are in response to Iran’s unwarranted and continued aggression.”

Earlier on Wednesday, U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth signalled that more military action was imminent while speaking after a visit to the U.S. Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Florida.

“Central Command will be busy tonight because President Trump said we will be hitting Iran hard, and we will be. Because Iran has a chance to make a good deal, a great deal to codify what they said they’ve been willing to do, and they haven’t been willing to do it,” Hegseth told reporters.

“As President Trump said, they’ve been tap, tap, tapping. You can see when someone’s trying to tap, tap, tap on a deal. Instead, they’re going to have tap, tap, tap bombs dropping on key facilities in Iran from the United States of America,” Hegseth continued. “And that’s not because we want to restart anything we don’t have to restart. It’s because we are, the War Department is prepared to set the terms to ensure that we get the kind of deal President Trump expects.”