Iran Broadcasts Hormuz Strait Shut as Owners Report Gunfire

Iran broadcast to ships in the Strait of Hormuz that the vital oil and gas channel is once again closed to maritime traffic, with owners reporting gunfire in the waterway and ships abandoning efforts to transit after a brief spell when it appeared it might reopen.

The radio transmission, heard by two owners with vessels in the area, came around the time as state-run news agency Nour reported that the strait had gone back to “strict management and control by the armed forces.” The decision to close it again was because of a separate blockade that the US has been imposing on Iran’s shipping since Monday, Nour said.