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TEHRAN - Clashes have broken out today between Iranian and American forces in the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. This occurred after the Central Command of Khatam al-Anbiya, the main Iranian military command, announced the complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Initial reports indicated that American ships near the Strait of Hormuz were targeted by rockets and drones launched by Iranian armed forces.

Explosions were also heard in the districts of Sirik and Minab, and in the port city of Bandar Abbas, in the Hormozgan province, as well as on the islands of Qeshm and Hengam. Air defense systems were activated west of the capital Tehran and in the southern province of Fars, according to the semi-official Mehr news agency.

Following these incidents, the Central Command of Khatam al-Anbiya announced that the Strait of Hormuz was closed to all types of vessels, including oil tankers and merchant ships, due to security threats in this waterway.

The command cited the continuation of "harmful actions" by the United States and attacks that occurred earlier in the day in the southern Iranian province of Hormozgan. It stated that any vessel attempting to transit the strait would be targeted.

The developments followed an announcement by the U.S. Central Command on the social media platform X, according to which U.S. forces had begun conducting "further self-defense strikes" against several targets in Iran in response to what they described as Iran's "unwarranted and ongoing aggression."

gnews.cz - GH

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