Iran Mines Southern Hormuz Approach, Stops Four Ships Under US Escort

Four commercial ships were stopped in the Strait of Hormuz on 17 July after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired missiles and drones at ships trying to transit the waterway under US military protection. The IRGC said all four were brought to a halt.

Two ships were hit by explosions the same day. They had entered a route south of the strait that Iran had mined. The IRGC said that corridor was set up to stop what it described as illegal passage through the chokepoint: ships using a US-backed route rather than Iran's own designated passage.

Iran declared the strait highly insecure and completely closed. Iran and the United States had traded strikes for six consecutive days by that point. Commercial traffic through the world's most important oil shipping lane was severely reduced.