Strait of Hormuz will not reopen as long as US threats and interference continue: IRGC

In a statement on Thursday, the IRGC announced that two oil tankers attempted to leave the "unsafe southern route" of the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday night after being prompted by US aircraft.

It said one of the tankers caught fire, prompting both vessels to quickly reverse course.

"The Strait of Hormuz is our territory, and the brave men of the IRGC Navy firmly control it. No outsider who has come from thousands of kilometers away will be allowed to interfere," the statement said.

It added that, "With the help of Almighty God, the aggressor will be punished today."

The IRGC also warned countries it said were assisting the aggressor, saying they would face consequences if they did not change their conduct.

"Countries that are involved in assisting the aggressor, if they do not correct their behavior, will receive a harsh response," it said.

"The Strait of Hormuz is not reopenable as long as the excessive rhetoric and threats by US officials and their interference in maritime movements in the region continue, and threats and interventions will make the situation more difficult and more complicated," the IRGC said.

The statement comes as the terrorist US CENTCOM announced a fresh round of aggression on Iran on Thursday, as several cities were targeted in the overnight strikes. In one of the deadly attacks on Qeshm Island, a two-year-old toddler along with his parents were killed as US targeted their home.

The US has been attacking Iran since earlier in July after Washington violated the terms of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, which was meant to permanently end the war that the US and Israeli regime unleashed against Iran in late February.

The understanding has recognized Iran’s rights and sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, and said Iran was responsible for removing restrictions that it has imposed over the Strait of Hormuz for vessels affiliated with aggressors and their supporters since the start of the aggression. However, the US attempted to undermine Iran’s sovereignty by establishing an unsafe corridor near the Omani shores.

The unlawful US measure prompted Iran’s firm response to re-impose restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran says any movement in the strategic chokepoint must be conducted under Iranian arrangements, as per the understanding.

The US attacks on southern Iranian provinces have been met with a strong response by Iran against US bases in regional countries as the Iranian Army and the IRGC launch multiple waves of Operation Nasr 2 and Operation Sa’eqeh (Lightning), pounding US-run bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, and the Iraqi Kurdistan region, among others.