Iran says IRGC forced U.S. naval retreat
Tehran says ships turned back after clash, warns Strait closed until blockade ends
Mehr and Tasnim state that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said its naval units forced US forces to withdraw from waters off the Sea of Oman after US personnel fired on an Iranian merchant vessel, prompting the ship to turn back toward Iranian territorial waters.
The reports portray the US action as a response to Tehran’s earlier restrictions on transit through the Strait of Hormuz and to the return of some Indian and British commercial ships; they say IRGC units made a “timely” intervention that compelled the Americans to leave the area.
Iranian outlets also reported that Iranian forces intercepted and turned back two oil tankers flagged to Botswana and Angola in the Strait. The IRGC has announced a closure of the Strait of Hormuz, saying the move responds to what it describes as a US naval blockade of Iranian ports and a breach of conditions of an announced ceasefire.
Iran on Friday briefly eased its restrictions on the passage of non-hostile commercial shipping in the Strait amid efforts to negotiate a permanent end to the war.
Tehran said the strait will remain closed until the blockade is lifted, while noting it briefly eased restrictions on non-hostile commercial passage amid talks aimed at a permanent ceasefire.
