Iran closes Strait of Hormuz after firing on ship; US retaliates with airstrikes
Tehran’s Revolutionary Guards halted all passage through the Strait of Hormuz early Sunday after hitting a merchant vessel with warning shots, triggering fresh American airstrikes and Iranian missile salvos at Gulf neighbors.
A ship stopped and a strait sealed
Early Sunday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired warning shots at a merchant vessel traversing what it called an “unauthorized route” through the Strait of Hormuz. The ship was hit and forced to stop, and its crew abandoned the vessel as flames spread across the deck, France 24 reported. Within hours, the Guards issued a statement carried by state media declaring the waterway closed “until further notice and until the end of American interventions in this region,” asserting that “no ship will be permitted to cross it.” The action followed several days of heightened tension and skirmishes and marked the second time Iran has shut the strait since the US‑Iran confrontation reignited.
US retaliates with airstrikes
American forces struck targets inside Iran shortly after the announcement. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters that Iran had “made a bad choice” by firing on the merchant ship.
Iran made a bad choice. Now they are paying.
The Pentagon confirmed that US aircraft had attacked military targets inside Iran but declined to name the sites or assess damage. Hegseth added that the strikes were a direct response to the ship attack and that further action would follow if the blockade persisted, marking a severe escalation after weeks of lower‑grade exchanges across the region.
Iran strikes Gulf neighbors
Even as the US bombs landed, Iran launched a salvo of missiles and drones at its Gulf neighbors. France 24’s Tehran correspondent Siavosh Ghazi described the barrage as direct retaliation for the American attacks, noting it was the first such strike against those states in the current phase of the war. The Revolutionary Guards also threatened to target US bases in the Gulf, stoking fears of a wider regional conflict.
- Revolutionary Guards fire warning shots at freighter on 'unauthorized route'; ship hit and stopped, crew abandoned vessel in flames.
- Guards declare Hormuz closed 'until further notice and until the end of American interventions'; no ships allowed to cross.
- US military bombs targets inside Iran; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says Iran 'made a bad choice' and 'now they are paying.'
- Iran fires missiles and drones at Gulf neighbors in direct retaliation for the US strikes.
No clear off‑ramp
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for global energy shipments, is now tied explicitly to the withdrawal of American forces from the region. With no diplomatic channel active and both sides trading fire, the cycle of action and reaction appeared set to deepen. Iran’s government made no comment beyond the Guards’ announcement, and Washington hinted at further operations if the blockade was not lifted.
