(The Center Square) – One of the major global maritime passageways for oil transport, the Strait of Hormuz, has been closed, according to multiple reports.

The Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, has reportedly been receiving VHF transmissions from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard instructing that no ships are allowed to pass through the strait.

The reports come as the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration has issued an alert to vessels in the region, urging them to “keep clear of this area if possible,” citing “significant military activity.”

“Any U.S.-flagged, owned, or crewed commercial vessels that are operating these areas should maintain a standoff of 30 nautical miles from U.S. military vessels to reduce the risk of being mistaken as a threat and are strongly encouraged to maintain close contact with Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) Naval Coordination and Guidance for Shipping,” according to DOT.

Iran has been targeting Arab countries along the Persian Gulf, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in response to U.S. strikes inside of Iran early Saturday.

The reported closure comes on the heels of Operation Epic Fury, joint coordinated strikes by the U.S. and Israel on Iran.

https://www.aol.com/articles/iran-closes-strait-hormuz-181700716.html

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

The CIA is working on arming Kurdish forces hostile to the Iranian government to support the US-Israeli regime-change war against Tehran, CNN has reported.

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have called for a popular uprising after launching strikes against Iranian leaders and state institutions last Saturday.

Funneling weapons to Iranian Kurds will require cooperation from their Iraqi counterparts, CNN reported on Tuesday, citing multiple people familiar with the plan and a decades-long history of Iraqi Kurdish factions working with the US spy agency. Axios reported Trump spoke to Kurdish leaders in Iraq on Sunday about how they could support the war effort.

Middle East experts predicted Washington would try to use Kurdish armed groups as ‘boots on the ground’ in Iran, similar to their previous role in Syria. But the US would need to balance empowering Kurds with possible resistance from NATO member Türkiye, which views foreign Kurdish forces as extensions of its own Kurdish separatists, who have fought a decades-long guerrilla war against Ankara.

An estimated 30 to 45 million Kurds live across Iran, Iraq, Türkiye, and Syria, many aspiring to nationhood. Iraqi Kurdistan has broad autonomy, while Syrian Kurds were recently forced to cede territory and government functions to Damascus. The previous government of Syrian President Bashar Assad was toppled by Türkiye-allied militants in late 2024.

Ankara has repeatedly denounced Israel for alleged genocidal tactics against Palestinians in Gaza. At a February event in the US, former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett branded Türkiye “the next Iran” threatening Israel.

The US and Israel claim their attack on Iran is necessary to prevent it from acquiring nuclear capability – an ambition Tehran denies. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recently warned that Washington and West Jerusalem’s unlawful approach will spur more nations to consider nuclear deterrence.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned last month that if the Middle East enters a nuclear arms race, his nation would be forced to participate.

The US has also backed non-Kurdish militants in Iran, including the Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK), a now-exiled leftist organization that sided with Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.

https://www.rt.com/news/633750-cia-arming-kurds-iran/

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT — SINCE 2005.

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.