Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters has declared the Strait of Hormuz closed to all vessels, including oil tankers and commercial shipping, warning that any traffic attempting passage will be targeted. The IRGC Navy confirmed two tankers were struck shortly after the announcement.

The closure follows U.S. strikes on civilian water infrastructure in Sirik, Hormozgan province, which destroyed two reservoirs supplying drinking water to more than 20,000 people across ten villages. Iran’s foreign ministry called the strikes a “calculated war crime.” With temperatures above 40°C, local authorities said conditions for residents had become “extremely difficult and critical.” Explosions were also reported in Bandar Abbas, Minab, and Qeshm Island.

The U.S. regime framed the Hormozgan strikes as retaliation for the downing of a U.S. helicopter on June 9. Destroying civilian water infrastructure is a war crime regardless of the pretext.

Iran claims to have already struck two ships that had attempted to cross the Strait after the announcement of the closure.

The strait has been effectively closed since the U.S.-Israeli assault on Iran began on 28 February, with traffic running at roughly 2% of its pre-war baseline. Tonight’s formal total closure declaration is a harder escalation than the de facto blockade that has been in place for over 100 days, a direct response not to a military target, but to the destruction of a water supply.