IRGC Navy says the Strait of Hormuz is closed and remains under the control of the IRGC Navy, reports Tasnim; The supertanker "Algaya", which was attempting to pass through the restricted area south of the Strait of Hormuz, exploded after hitting a mine

A declared closure of the Strait of Hormuz sits at the top of the geopolitical escalation ladder for energy markets, given the share of seaborne crude and LNG that transits the chokepoint, and a mined tanker is the kind of kinetic confirmation that has historically moved this from rhetoric to physical supply disruption. Past episodes of this kind have tended to follow a recognisable sequence: tanker owners and insurers reassess first, with war-risk premia, freight rates and insurance costs repricing before outright crude benchmarks fully reflect the constraint, and traffic through the strait thinning as owners wait for clarity. The distinction that matters is between a sustained interdiction and harassment of individual vessels: the former tightens the prompt balance and steepens the front of the crude curve, the latter primarily reprices logistics costs. Sourcing of the closure claim through state-affiliated media is itself worth noting, as declarations of this kind have on previous occasions been walked back or qualified, and the form of the IRGC Navy in prior standoffs has been calibrated pressure short of full closure. The follow-ons are confirmations of the mine strike from independent maritime and flag-state channels, any naval escort or clearance response, and how quickly traffic data shows vessels diverting or anchoring.