Iran seals Strait of Hormuz from Arabian Sea side, warns US

Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz from the Arabian Sea approach and warned it will respond with “swift action” if US forces attempt to move forward, Iranian navy commander Shahram Irani said late Wednesday.

Commander mocks US war assumptions

In a statement carried by state-run broadcaster IRIB, Irani said: “The enemy thought that in the shortest possible time — such as three days to one week — it could reach a conclusion in a war against Iran, and this assumption of theirs has become a joke in military universities.” He added: “We are united to the last drop of our blood to take revenge for our martyrs.”

Ceasefire efforts remain deadlocked

Hostilities escalated after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, prompting Tehran’s retaliation against American allies in the Gulf and the subsequent closure of the strategic waterway. A Pakistani-mediated ceasefire was announced on April 8, followed by talks in Islamabad on April 11-12, but no agreement was reached. US President Donald Trump later extended the truce at Pakistan’s request, pending a new Iranian proposal. Despite ongoing efforts to arrange another round of talks, the situation remains tense.