Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on the 12th that it was closing the Strait of Hormuz because ships had attempted to pass through unauthorized routes.
In a statement that day, the Revolutionary Guard claimed, "We had announced in advance that we would respond firmly to foreign interference and the illegal designation of routes in the Strait of Hormuz, and that the flow of increasing traffic volume would be disrupted." It added, "Nevertheless, just a few hours ago, these warnings were ignored, and at the instigation of foreign powers, several ships attempted to pass through unapproved routes."
"We warned these ships to correct their course and move to approved routes, but they ignored this," the statement continued. "Since instability has arisen due to illegal foreign intervention, the Strait of Hormuz will be fully closed until further notice and until U.S. intervention in the region ends."
The Revolutionary Guard explained that it had fired warning shots to stop one ship that was attempting to pass through an unauthorized route, saying the vessel "turned off its ship systems and endangered maritime security."
It also warned, "If the enemy, using this incident that they themselves caused as a pretext, makes a mistake or launches a new aggression against us, we will respond forcefully, and the enemy's new bases in the region will be targeted." The statement added, "Responsibility for the consequences of this intervention lies with the United States, the Zionist (Israeli) enemies, and the countries that provided bases for these threats."
