An official with the European Union’s naval mission Aspides said on Saturday that ships operating in the region have been picking up VHF radio messages from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warning that “no ship is allowed to pass the Strait of Hormuz”.
The chokepoint is widely regarded as the world’s most critical oil transit route, linking major Gulf producers including Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
The official, speaking to news agency Reuters on condition of anonymity, said Tehran has not formally confirmed issuing such an order. Iran has repeatedly warned it could shut the narrow waterway if the Islamic Republic comes under attack.
However, even the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it had received multiple reports from vessels operating in the Arabian Gulf that they were picking up messages claiming the Strait of Hormuz had been closed.
The development followed hours after the United States and Israel carried out strikes across Iran on Saturday, targeting senior leadership and urging the fall of the Iranian government. Tehran retaliated with missile attacks on Israel and several Gulf countries hosting US bases.
President Donald Trump said the operation was meant to neutralise a security threat to the United States and prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. He asked Iranian security forces to lay down arms and called on the Iranian public to move against their government once the bombing campaign ends.
Iran answered the strikes by firing missiles at Israel and at Gulf Arab partners of Washington that host American military facilities. Officials in Tehran warned that stronger retaliation was forthcoming. Senior Revolutionary Guards commander Ebrahim Jabbari said Iran had so far deployed only “scrap missiles” and would soon reveal weapons that adversaries do not anticipate, according to state television.
Tehran denounced the strikes, which began in the morning and hit multiple locations nationwide, as “illegal and unprovoked”. State-run Al-Alam television reported that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who had not spoken publicly by Saturday, was expected to address the nation soon.
Meanwhile, explosions were reported across oil-producing Gulf Arab states, which said their air defences intercepted incoming missiles after Iran warned it would target the region if attacked.
