Iran has threatened to close additional oil and natural gas export routes after the U.S. continued its attacks, with the American military launching a new wave of strikes against Iran on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, 15 Jul 2026 GMT+7, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the U.S. ends its "aggressive actions." It also threatened to close other regional oil and natural gas export routes.
"The U.S. should prepare for closures of other oil and natural gas export routes that benefit the U.S. and its allies," the IRGC statement said, without specifying which routes it referred to.
However, Iran had previously threatened to close the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, a vital oil shipping route for Saudi Arabia and an important global trade passage.
This warning came as the U.S. Central Command (Centcom) announced it had carried out drone, air, and naval attacks against Iran on Wednesday morning, following a separate operation lasting seven hours overnight into Wednesday.
The U.S. and Iran resumed armed exchanges last week after reports that Iran attacked commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting U.S. strikes aimed at degrading Iran's capability to target ships.
Iran retaliated by striking U.S. military assets in Gulf Arab countries such as Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain over recent days, leading the U.S. to reinstate a maritime blockade on 14 Jul 2026 GMT+7 to prevent commercial ships from entering or leaving Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz.
This blockade had previously been lifted as part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by the U.S. and Iran in June, intended to pave the way for final negotiations to end the war. The recent clashes have diminished hopes of reaching an agreement.
The Strait of Hormuz has become a major point of contention between Iran and the U.S., with both sides announcing plans to charge fees to commercial vessels passing through this shipping lane. However, former U.S. President Donald Trump later abandoned such plans after strong opposition, having declared that passage through the strait must remain "free."
Iran continues to insist on collecting "service fees" from ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz and plans to coordinate with Oman, emphasizing that passage through the strait will no longer be the same as before the war reignited on 28 Feb.
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Source:bbc