Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), a government agency set up on 5 May to oversee transit through the strait of Hormuz, announced the key waterway is “closed until further notice”, blaming US strikes in the region.
In a statement carried on Iranian media, the PGSA said: “Due to the tensions created by the US aggression forces in the region and the announcement by the Iranian armed forces last night, the strait of Hormuz will be closed until further notice.
”Applicants who have received a pass are asked to be patient and await further guidance from the PGSA.”
The announcement came shortly after an Iranian official accused the US of striking a cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman this morning.
Reza Shahidian, governor of Sirik in the southern Hormozgan province, located on the stores of the strait of Hormuz, said the ship was “carrying essential goods” when it was hit while travelling from an Omani port, according to Iranian media.
He added that the crew had been rescued and taken to Oman.
Earlier, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the strait will be “closed to all vessels”, a claim which the US Central Command rejected, saying commercial ships continue to transit in and out of the strait.
