Ankara / Anatolia

The naval forces of Iran's Revolutionary Guard announced that four ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz with support from the U.S. military were stopped through missile and drone strikes.

This came in a statement issued by the Revolutionary Guard's naval forces on Saturday without identifying the ships.

The statement added that ships in the strait must heed warnings and notices issued by the Iranian Navy and take them into account.

Iran had announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to navigation after the United States resumed its attacks on its territory.

In recent days, the United States has been launching successive waves of strikes on sites inside Iran, while Tehran has been attacking what it says are U.S. ships, facilities, and military bases in several countries in the region.

On June 18, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding that included a cessation of military operations and the start of negotiations to reach a broader agreement.

But U.S. President Donald Trump announced on July 8 the end of the interim agreement, following the targeting of three ships in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting Washington to resume strikes inside Iran amid escalating Iranian responses in the region.

Washington demands guaranteeing freedom and security of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, while Tehran insists on imposing a mechanism to regulate the passage of ships through the strategic waterway, exacerbating fears of disruption to oil and gas exports from the region.