U.S. and Iran clash for a second straight day as ships are hit after threat to fully block the Strait of Hormuz

[Financial News] After saying in April that it would allow approved vessels to pass through the Strait of Hormuz following a ceasefire, the Iranian Armed Forces have now said they will block traffic through the waterway again after a series of recent clashes with the United States.
On the 11th local time, Khatam ol-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the Iranian Armed Forces' joint command, issued a statement saying it would close the Strait of Hormuz and ban the passage of all ships, including tankers and cargo vessels. It added, "Any ship attempting to pass through the strait will be a target for fire."
Iranian media reported that the Iranian Armed Forces fired at two ships that tried to pass through the strait.
The announcement came shortly after the United States military carried out airstrikes on Iranian targets for a second consecutive day on the 10th. CENTCOM, which has been attacking Iran, said on the 10th that it launched strikes on Iranian targets after a Boeing AH-64 Apache helicopter belonging to the U.S. Army crashed near the Strait of Hormuz on the 9th following an Iranian attack. Iran also claimed it had struck U.S. military bases in the Persian Gulf region from long range.
Speaking to reporters on the 10th, U.S. President Donald Trump referred to the Apache helicopter shootdown and said, "We have the right to attack. We hit them hard yesterday, and we will hit them hard again today." On the same day, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also suggested that strikes would resume, saying Iran still had "a chance to make a good deal" but had not taken it. CENTCOM posted on X that day that it had begun "additional self-defense strikes against multiple targets in Iran."
In response, Tasnim News Agency, a semi-official Iranian outlet, quoted a source on the 10th as saying the Iranian Armed Forces were preparing to retaliate again. The source claimed, "Last night, we proved to the United States that any reckless move will trigger an immediate response from Iran, and Iran will not tolerate any hostile action." The source warned, "The Iranian Armed Forces are on maximum alert this evening, and if the United States takes any hostile action, it will once again face a harsh response."
pjw@fnnews.com Park Jong-won Reporter