The strait, which was a conduit before the war for one-fifth of the world’s oil and LNG supplies will remain closed until “the end of US interference in this region,” the Revolutionary Guards said.
Central Command said it began its strikes at 7:15 p.m. ET (2315 GMT) on Saturday, roughly an hour after the Iranians released their statement, which included a warning that “new enemy bases” in the Middle East would be targeted if the United States retaliated for the container ship incident.
Trump ordered the strikes, Central Command said. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Washington demands that Tehran publicly state it will stop attacks on ships in the strait and that all lanes will be open without tolls, senior US officials have said.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has accused the United States of violating the ceasefire agreement. “There can only be mutual compliance,” he wrote on X on Friday.
The US revoked the licence authorising the sale of Iranian crude on Tuesday after three Qatari and Saudi commercial tankers came under fire earlier in the week, prompting the US to hit Iranian sites. Iran then struck US military sites in Gulf states.
Iran, however, has not claimed responsibility for the ship attacks.
Iran vows revenge
Araghchi and Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi have met in Oman to exchange “views on appropriate mechanisms for the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz,” according to a statement from the Iranian foreign minister.
Oman’s state news agency said Omani and Iranian negotiators would continue talks “at the technical and political levels.”
CNN reported on Saturday that Oman made a draft proposal for the strait, including free navigation through its southern corridor in Omani territorial waters. The plan called for vessels transiting the northern corridor through Iranian territorial waters to obtain prior approval from Iran, although no tolls would be imposed, CNN said.
The White House and State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the CNN report.
A written statement from Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, on Saturday threatened vengeance for the assassination of his predecessor and father, who was killed in the war’s initial attacks.
“We pledge to avenge the blood of the martyred leader and all the martyrs,” the message by Mojtaba said.
The statement was released to mark the funeral ceremonies for the former leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Thursday. His son did not attend the ceremony and has not been seen in public since the war began.
Trump had posted on Friday that he had ordered the US military to be prepared to launch thousands of missiles against Iran if Tehran attempted to assassinate him.
Iran has not commented on the assassination claims.
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