IRAN WAR: Iran says Strait of Hormuz closed as U.S. launches second day of strikes
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Iran has announced that the Strait of Hormuz, the key trading route that was blocked during the ongoing Middle East conflict, is now closed to all marine traffic.
The announcement comes after U.S. Central Command maintained the waterway was still open and the U.S. on Wednesday night launched new attacks, which Tehran retaliated against by hitting American targets across the Middle East.
Also, three Indian nationals were killed after the U.S. military fired at a Palau-flagged tanker off the coast of Oman.
President Donald Trump warned that the U.S. would hit Iran “very hard” again, stating that Iran had “taken too long to negotiate a deal.”
Here’s the latest on the Iran war on Thursday:
Strait of Hormuz closed, says Iran
The Strait of Hormuz will be closed until further notice after multiple incidents around the key waterway, according to Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority.
The organization said it’s due to “tensions created by the American aggressor forces in the region,” and that applicants who had received transit permits to pass through the strait should be patient and wait for further instructions, per NBC News .
U.S. Central Command had previously maintained the Strait of Hormuz was still open.
U.S. complete second round of ‘self-defence strikes’ in Iran
For a second consecutive day, the U.S. and Iran have exchanged attacks across the Middle East.
U.S. Central Command announced it had completed a second wave of “self-defence strikes” that targeted military, surveillance and radar sites in southern Iran, BBC reported. The American attack comes after President Trump said Iran would be hit “hard.”
In response, Iran attacked U.S. military assets in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.
On Thursday, Iran’s foreign ministry said the overnight strikes violated the two-month ceasefire, making it “practically meaningless.” The ministry blamed Washington for the “extremely serious consequences of this criminal act.”
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it fired a round of ballistic missiles at an American command centre in Jordan and destroyed a number of fighter jets at the Muwaffaq Salti Airbase.
Jordan says it intercepted 20 Iranian missiles
The Jordanian military claimed it has intercepted 20 Iranian missiles launched towards Azraq, where an American military base is located.
The Jordanian Armed Forces said in a statement that aircraft had intercepted and shot down the missiles. No injuries or damage had been reported, per CBS News.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said earlier Thursday it had targeted the “Al-Azraq Air Base and its control centre, using 12 ballistic missiles.”
Three Indian nationals killed after U.S. strike
Three Indian nationals were killed after a U.S. strike on an oil tanker linked to Iran in the Gulf of Oman.
The news was confirmed on X by Sarbananda Sonowal, India’s Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, who said: “It is deeply unfortunate to learn of the tragic incident aboard the Palau-flagged MT Settebello. Sadly, three Indian seafarers initially reported missing are now confirmed dead after bodies have been located and identified.”
India has condemned the fatal attack on the Palau-flagged M/T Settebello. The tanker was hit by a precision munition while travelling through the Strait of Oman, CNN reported.
The tanker contained 24 crew members, with 21 rescued from the vessel.
U.S. Central Command said an American aircraft “fired precision munitions into the ship’s engine room after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from American forces.” CENTCOM said the vessel was stopped as part of the ongoing naval blockade aimed at ships trying to transport Iranian oil.