TEHRAN, Iran: The Iranian parliament on Sunday approved a motion to shut down the strategic Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most vital oil shipping passage, in response to US strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities.
The decision now awaits final approval from the country’s Supreme National Security Council to proceed with the plan, Iran’s state media reported.
Esmail Kosari, a Revolutionary Guards commander, told the Young Journalist Club, a news agency in Iran, that the closure was on the agenda and “will be done whenever necessary” The Telegraph reported.
The Strait of Hormuz is a key passage through which 20 percent, over 17 million barrels per day, of global oil and gas demand flows. Major oil producers rely on the waterway to access the open sea.
The closure of the shipping lane would be expected to disrupt global oil supply, causing a sharp spike in prices.
The US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities mark a dramatic escalation in regional tensions following the latest phase of direct confrontation between Iran and Israel. On June 13, Israel launched airstrikes on Iran.
What began as a series of aerial attacks quickly evolved into a full-blown military escalation involving the United States.
Earlier on Sunday, US President Donald Trump confirmed that American forces carried out what he described as a “very successful attack” on three Iranian nuclear facilities: Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, President Trump revealed that a “full payload of BOMBS” had been dropped on the underground Fordo site, one of Iran’s nuclear facilities.
“All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors,” Trump wrote, calling the operation a “historic” moment for the United States. He later declared in a televised address from the White House that “IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR.”
The strikes came just two days after Trump had signalled a possible two-week window for diplomacy. His sudden change in course has further destabilised the region and raised fears of a broader conflict in the region.
A closure of the Strait of Hormuz – even a temporary one – could send oil prices soaring overnight.
The mere threat of disruption often rattles markets; an actual closure would be far more destabilising.
