Iran’s parliament has approved a motion to close the Strait of Hormuz following U.S. airstrikes on the country’s key nuclear facilities.
The narrow strait is one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints, with around 20 per cent of global oil and gas supplies passing through it. Major energy exporters such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE rely heavily on the route to reach international markets.
Blocking the waterway would likely trigger major disruption to global oil supplies, drive up prices sharply, and could temporarily hinder the movement of U.S. naval forces from the Persian Gulf. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council will now decide whether to implement the closure, according to state television reports on Saturday afternoon.
Revolutionary Guards commander Esmail Kosari told Iran’s Young Journalist Club that the move was under serious consideration and “will be done whenever necessary.”
The decision comes after the U.S. military claimed to have dealt “extreme damage and destruction” to Iran’s three most important nuclear sites.
Revealing details of the operation, codenamed Midnight Hammer, U.S. General Dan Caine said the mission caught Iran by surprise and was carried out without a single shot being fired at the American stealth bombers involved.
Marco Rubio has warned that Iran would be committing “economic suicide” if it follows through on threats to block the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for U.S. military strikes.
Speaking on Fox News, the U.S. secretary of state dismissed the likelihood of Tehran closing the key shipping route, which is vital to global oil supplies. “I encourage the Chinese government in Beijing to call them about that, because they heavily depend on the Strait of Hormuz for their oil,” he said.
“If they do that, it will be another terrible mistake. It’s economic suicide for them, and we have options to deal with it. But other countries should also take this seriously — it would harm their economies far more than it would ours.”
Rubio added that such a move would represent a “massive escalation” requiring a response not only from the United States but from other nations as well.
