Iran is threatening to completely close the Strait of Hormuz if its territory is attacked again, adding a sharper maritime ultimatum to a crisis that has already pulled the United States back into direct strikes on Iranian targets.
The warning was reported Wednesday by The Jerusalem Post, citing Iranian state broadcaster Press TV, and separately by Middle East Monitor via Anadolu. Both reports said an Iranian security source warned that the waterway would be closed to all maritime traffic after any renewed strike against Iran.
Iran Raises the Hormuz Threat
The reported Iranian threat goes beyond earlier disputes over who controls shipping arrangements through the strait. According to the reports, the Iranian source said Tehran would reopen the route only under its own arrangements and would strike enemy targets at a ratio of at least two to one for every Iranian target hit.
The same message appeared designed to answer President Donald Trump’s warning that the U.S. could hit Iran again. The Jerusalem Post quoted the source as saying Iran “does not distinguish between the United States and its partners in the region,” while Iran’s Foreign Ministry argued that Washington had violated the structure of last month’s memorandum of understanding over safe passage through Hormuz.
That makes the new angle different from the earlier Hormuz-control dispute. Tehran is no longer only saying it should manage navigation rules. It is now threatening a full traffic shutdown if the next round of strikes lands.
U.S. Launches Another Strike Wave
The threat came as U.S. Central Command said it had started additional strikes against Iran to further degrade Tehran’s ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. CBS News reported that the announcement followed Trump’s warning that the U.S. would “probably” hit Iran again Wednesday night.
Al Jazeera reported that explosions were heard near Bandar Abbas, Konarak, Chabahar, Bushehr, and Iranshahr after the U.S. announced the new wave. Iranian outlets said air defenses were engaging hostile targets near Bandar Abbas, one of the key coastal cities tied to the Hormuz security fight.
The latest exchange follows alleged Iranian attacks on commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, which Washington says justified the renewed strikes. Iran says the U.S. violated the memorandum that was supposed to keep the war from restarting while both sides negotiated final terms.
Why Hormuz Matters Now
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important energy routes, and the latest escalation is already hitting shipping and markets. The Guardian reported that Brent crude jumped nearly 6 percent to more than $80 a barrel after tanker attacks and the collapse of the ceasefire, while at least four oil and gas tankers turned back from trying to transit the strait.
For now, the threat remains a reported warning rather than a confirmed closure. But it raises the stakes for the next U.S. decision. If Washington carries out additional strikes and Iran follows through, the crisis could shift from contested routing and isolated attacks into a declared shutdown of the Gulf’s central maritime artery.
The practical risk is simple: one more strike could turn Hormuz from a dangerous waterway into a closed one.