IRGC says it controls Strait of Hormuz
Iran reports escorting commercial ships through key waterway
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said it maintained full control over the Strait of Hormuz and coordinated the safe passage of 25 commercial vessels—including oil tankers and container ships—after they obtained authorization and received security protection from IRGC units. In an official statement, the IRGC described its actions as “smart control” of the waterway and warned that any aggression would be met with “crushing blows,” framing the operation as proof of its capability to safeguard a vital global energy corridor and defend Iran’s sovereign rights.
State accounts said life and port operations in Bandar Abbas continued normally despite reported overnight strikes by U.S. forces on targets in southern Iran; local residents reportedly heard blasts, but authorities said strategic infrastructure and civilian activity were unaffected. Iranian statements accused the U.S. of violating a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire and alleged the wider conflict began with U.S. and Israeli strikes that targeted senior figures and critical infrastructure—claims consistent with Tehran’s narrative, which emphasizes proportional responses to foreign aggression and the risk such actions pose to international navigation and energy security.
Separately, international reporting indicated the U.S. Navy has provided discreet assistance to some commercial vessels transiting the strait, including guiding a Greek supertanker that had been stranded in the Persian Gulf and planning to help other large ships in the coming days; U.S. Central Command clarified this did not amount to a formal resumption of a previously announced Project Freedom escort program. The situation reflects overlapping measures by regional and extra-regional forces to protect shipping amid heightened tensions, underscoring the Strait’s strategic importance and the potential for naval operations and information campaigns to influence commercial traffic and broader geopolitical dynamics.
