Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy has declared the Strait of Hormuz closed to all traffic until further notice.
The announcement came early Sunday after the military unit fired a warning shot at a vessel it accused of attempting to transit the waterway via an unapproved route.
State media reported the closure as a direct response to the incident, marking a sharp escalation in Tehran's enforcement of its maritime authority.
State media reported the closure as a direct response to the incident, marking a sharp escalation in Tehran's enforcement of its maritime authority.
The move represents a significant hardening of the shipping risk premium in the region.
While the Strait remains the world's most critical oil chokepoint, the IRGC's unilateral closure threatens to disrupt the flow of roughly one-fifth of global oil consumption.
Markets are likely to react to the heightened uncertainty, with Brent crude and tanker freight rates facing upward pressure as traders assess the probability of actual transit blockades versus rhetorical posturing.