A senior official in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Monday the Strait of Hormuz was closed and Iran would set fire to any ship trying to pass, Iranian media reported.
It was Iran’s most stark warning since it said on Saturday it was closing an export route to ships, threatening to choke off a fifth of global oil flows and sharply raise crude prices.
“The Strait of Hormuz is closed. If anyone tries to pass, the Revolutionary Guards and regular navy heroes will burn those ships,” Ibrahim Jabari, a senior adviser to the Guard commander-in-chief, said in remarks carried by state media.
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The strait is the world’s most important oil export route, connecting large Gulf oil producers such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
US and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28 triggered the shutdown by attempting to topple its leaders, with US President Donald Trump offering the Iranians help in ousting regime clerics.
In response, Iran fired several missiles at its Gulf neighbors that host US military bases such as Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain. Tehran fired missiles at the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Oman.
With the closure, Tehran made good on threats to block the narrow waterway in retaliation for any attack on the Islamic Republic.
About 20% of the world’s daily oil consumption passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which is about 33 kilometers (21 miles) wide at its narrowest point.
Oil markets have focused on tensions between Tehran and its old foes the US and Israel, fearing a full-scale conflict could disrupt supplies and destabilize the region.
The move comes after global shipping has already suffered disruptions linked to drone and missile attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi militants. The group has targeted ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since the Gaza war began in 2023.
(tags to translate)Iran
