Tehran links Hormuz shipping access to halt in US attacks

Iran will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping or grant transit permits while U.S. strikes on its territory continue, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Tuesday, citing an unnamed source.

According to the source, “as long as attacks by the United States continue, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will not change,” indicating that vessels would not be allowed to pass through the strategic waterway.

The comments come amid an escalation in tensions between Washington and Tehran that began on July 8. On that date, U.S. forces carried out multiple waves of strikes on Iranian territory, marking the first such action since a memorandum had been signed between the two sides. The strikes were described as a response to an earlier attack on a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.

On the same day, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the termination of a ceasefire with Iran.

Iran subsequently launched retaliatory strikes targeting U.S. facilities across the Middle East, including in Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

By Tamilla Hasanova