IRGC warns Strait of Hormuz will stay shut if US interference continues

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said late Tuesday that two oil tankers attempted to exit through what it described as an "unsafe" route in the southern Strait of Hormuz and accused U.S. aircraft of directing the vessels. The IRGC said the strait is "Iranian territory" and that its navy maintains full control of the waterway. In a statement, the IRGC said foreign parties arriving from "thousands of kilometers away" would not be permitted to intervene, warned that "any attack will be met the same day," and declared the strait would not reopen as long as U.S. officials continue what it described as interference in maritime traffic. U.S. Central Command said Tuesday that the IRGC has no authority to dictate routes to commercial vessels in the strait and that U.S. military support is enabling commercial ships to continue transiting. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran has rejected an Omani proposal for joint management of the Strait of Hormuz, saying Oman should control only the section within its own territorial waters.