Iran closes Strait of Hormuz to shipping (45 characters)

The Navy of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has announced a complete closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media reported. The official statement stated that navigation through the waterway would remain blocked "until further notice" and until the complete end of US military intervention in the Middle East. The radical decision comes after a series of mutual air strikes between the US and Iran in the Persian Gulf and after Washington declared that previous ceasefire agreements had been terminated. Nearly a fifth of global oil supplies pass through the Strait of Hormuz, threatening international markets with a deep energy crisis.