The US Central Command has said that the Strait of Hormuz is “open to all vessels,” despite Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announcing earlier today that it had closed the waterway.
“The Strait of Hormuz is open to all vessels seeking to lawfully transit the international waterway,” CENTCOM wrote in a post on X, adding: “US forces are positioned and prepared to ensure that freedom of navigation remains available despite unwarranted Iranian aggression, harassment, threats, and arbitrary declarations.”
“Iran does not control the strait. Traffic is flowing,” it continued.
Earlier today, the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC), which is overseen by the US Navy, said that the Omani “southern route” through the Strait of Hormuz remains available for two-way traffic. It also warned, however, that the security threat level in the waterway remains “severe.”
Traffic through the strait has once again dropped following Iran’s announcement, data from maritime tracking agency MarineTraffic showed this morning.
Source: BBC
– Agencies
