Middle East live: Iran announces closure of Strait of Hormuz after US attacks

Iran's top joint military command announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, including oil tankers and commercial ships, saying any vessel that will attempt passage will be shot at. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates. Iran's state media denies contact between Iranian officials and Trump Iran's state media cited a senior official as denying on Thursday that Iranian officials were in contact with U.S. President Donald Trump in the wake of US attacks on areas in southern Iran. "Trump's false claim that Iranian officials contacted him is a cover to evade war with Iran," the unnamed official was cited as saying. Trump tells Fox News that he spoke directly with Iran officials US President Donald Trump told Fox News on Wednesday that he spoke directly with Iranian officials who asked him to stop strikes on the country, according to a reporter at the network. Iran says will target any vessel traffic in Strait of Hormuz Iran's military command said Thursday it will target any ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz, after it struck two vessels attempting to pass through the strategic waterway. "Any vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz will be targeted" the Khatam al-Anbiya command said, according to Tasnim news agency, adding that the strait is now "completely closed to all types of vessel", following fresh US airstrikes against Iran. The Iranian navy, quoted by state television IRIB and the Mehr agency, said that "two ships attempting to illegally pass through the Strait of Hormuz were hit". Iran announces closure of Strait of Hormuz after US attacks Iran's top joint military command announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, including oil tankers and commercial ships, saying any vessel that will attempt passage will be shot at. The US military said Wednesday it has begun another round of strikes against Iran after President Donald Trump said more were coming. The escalating attacks threatened to derail efforts to end the war, with Trump warning that Tehran would “pay the price” for stalled negotiations. US Vice President JD Vance acknowledged differences with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an interview excerpt released Wednesday, saying the Israeli leader had "gotten some things wrong" in the Middle East war. Lebanon's health ministry said Israeli airstrikes on the country's south on Wednesday killed 12 people, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the Lebanese to join Israel's fight against Hezbollah. Please find all the latest updates from Tuesday, June 9 here.