The Strait of Hormuz Is Closed Again: What Are the Reasons This Time?
12 July 06:38
On the night of Sunday, July 12, the U.S. military began launching its third wave of strikes against Iran in a week. This was reported by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). The Iranian state-run television channel Press TV reported on air defense activity in Tehran and the sounds of explosions in the cities of Sirik, Konarak, Chabahar, Jask, and Bandar Abbas, according to "Komersant Ukrainian", citing DW.
CENTCOM stated that the new wave of strikes was in response to an attack by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on the container ship GFS Galaxy, which was sailing through the Strait of Hormuz under the Cypriot flag. One crew member of the civilian vessel is missing, and the container ship cannot continue its voyage due to a fire on board and significant damage to the engine room, the U.S. military noted.
“Iran was given another opportunity to demonstrate compliance with the Memorandum of Understanding after being called to account for previous attacks on commercial vessels, but it once again failed to do so,” the CENTCOM post stated. “In response, the United States is inflicting serious damage on Iran.”
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hagseth expressed the same sentiment more succinctly. “Iran made the wrong choice. Now they’re paying for it,” the media quoted him as saying.
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The Strait of Hormuz is closed again
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated that it fired warning shots at a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz because it was traveling on a route not approved by Iran. “Unfortunately, one vessel that threatened maritime security by shutting down its systems was hit by a warning shot and stopped,” the IRGC Navy said in a statement.
The Iranian side also stated that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until further notice and “until the end of U.S. intervention in the region.” The IRGC also threatened to launch new attacks on U.S. military bases in the Middle East if American strikes against Iran continue.
Before the war between the U.S., Israel, and Iran began, approximately 20 percent of global oil trade passed through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Ceasefire Was Broken
On June 17, the U.S. and Iran signed a framework agreement that called for a cessation of hostilities and the reopening of the strategically important waterway. However, on June 25, the Iranian military attacked a civilian tanker in the Strait of Hormuz using a kamikaze drone, and the following day, the Americans launched strikes against the Islamic Republic in retaliation. Since then, this has happened several more times, with neighboring Bahrain and Kuwait also coming under Iranian fire. Each time, the U.S. military reported that it had struck military targets in Iran, such as radar stations and missile and drone depots.
On July 8, speaking at the NATO summit in Ankara, U.S. President Donald Trump declared that the memorandum of understanding with Iran was no longer in effect. The White House chief called Iranian leaders “evil, sick people” with whom dealing is “a waste of time.” Trump added that he would not negotiate with Tehran, but would allow his negotiators to continue talks if they so desired. The U.S. reinstated oil sanctions against Iran.
On July 11, Reuters reported that Iranian officials, in closed-door talks with the U.S., blamed “uncontrolled elements within the system” for the recent attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
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