Iran's IRGC Warns US Destroyer in Hormuz as MOU Reopening Signed 24 Hours Earlier
Updated
Updated · houseofsaud.com · Jun 16
Iran's IRGC Warns US Destroyer in Hormuz as MOU Reopening Signed 24 Hours Earlier
2 articles · Updated · houseofsaud.com · Jun 16
Summary
An IRGC Navy operator radioed a US destroyer clearing mines in the Strait of Hormuz with a repeated “last warning” on June 15, less than 24 hours after Tehran and Washington signed an MOU meant to reopen the waterway.
Two US destroyers — USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. and USS Michael Murphy — were conducting demining work that maritime security sources say could take 40 to 50 days, and the IRGC appears to treat that operation as hostile unless Iran authorizes it.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry simultaneously recirculated a UN notice saying “non-hostile” ships may transit in coordination with Iranian authorities, but the phrase leaves operational control undefined while the IRGC still claims full authority over Hormuz traffic.
That split has mattered before: an April 17 Foreign Ministry declaration that the strait was open was overridden within hours by IRGC enforcement, and the June 11 IRGC closure order has still not been formally rescinded.
Commercial traffic remains far from normal — 29 verified crossings from June 10 to 14 versus about 153 a day before the conflict — while mines, insurance restrictions and unresolved Iranian fees keep shipowners on the sidelines.
Iran's deal reopens a vital waterway, but who now truly controls it and at what cost to global trade?
With Iran's military defying its diplomats, can the new Strait of Hormuz deal actually prevent a wider conflict?
US-Iran 2026 MOU: Ending Hostilities, Reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and the Fragile Path to Peace
Overview
The report details a major diplomatic breakthrough with the signing of a US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding in June 2026, which immediately ended military operations and hostilities, especially in Lebanon, and prohibited threats or use of force between the two nations. Central to the agreement is the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, as the US began lifting its naval blockade, aiming for full removal within 30 days. This move is expected to restore vital shipping routes and ease economic pressures, but unresolved issues and deep political divides in Iran highlight the fragile prospects for lasting peace and regional stability.