Iranian parliament has approved the closure of the Strait of Hormuz in a move which could see the world thrown into disaster.
The decision to close the Strait, through which around 20 per cent of global oil and gas demand flows, is not yet final.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council must still make the final call on the matter, Iran’s Press TV said today.
Lawmaker and Revolutionary Guards Commander Esmail Kosari has stated to the Young Journalist Club that the act of closing the Strait of Hormuz is part of their agenda and will be carried out when necessary.
Kosari recently informed local media that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is being considered by Iran, and a firm decision will be made with determination.
The significance of the Strait of Hormuz lies in its role as a crucial trade route for the global economy. Approximately one-fifth of the world’s oil passes through this narrow sea passage, as well as a similar proportion of all Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), cementing its status as the most critical oil transit chokepoint in the world.
But Kowsari said Iran was not limiting its options in dealing with Israel, telling local media last week: ‘Our hands are wide open when it comes to punishing the enemy, and the military response was only part of our overall response.’
Trade Gerrit Heinemann told Bild that should Iran choose to close the Strait, which borders the country, the results would be ‘catastrophic.’
President Trump broke his two-week deadline on Saturday night as he launched ‘Operation Midnight Hammer’, sending a fleet of B-2 bombers to key nuclear sites
Emergency workers attend to a building hit by a reported Iranian missile strike on Sunday in the Ramat Aviv neighborhood of Tel Aviv, Israel
‘[It would be] worse than Corona and Putin combined! The second episode of the ongoing crisis would be even more severe than what we experienced at the beginning of the Ukraine war and during the Corona years. A disaster,’ they said.
He told the newspaper: ‘A large part of the global supply chains runs through the affected region. This not only dramatically impacts energy supplies, but also the flow of goods.
‘All of a sudden, all the crises we had just overcome would return: the energy crisis, inflation, disrupted supply chains, and now the threat of mass unemployment.’
At its thinnest, it is just 21 miles wide, and the shipping lanes in the Strait are even smaller.
This makes it incredible vulnerable to attacks, which international leaders have already warned.
Iraq’s foreign minister Fuad Hussein warned of a ‘global energy crisis’ if the Strait is closed.
Cutting the world off from such a large source of energy would massively affect economies across the world, which still largely rely on non-renewable sources like oil for their needs.
It comes as top US officials urged Iran to surrender today after strikes on the nation’s nuclear sites ‘severely damaged’ its nuclear capabilities overnight.
Digital billboards display a message thanking US President Donald Trump for his administration’s strikes on Iranian nuclear sites
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi delivered a speech during a press conference today, during which he called Trump a ‘lawless bully’
President Trump broke his two-week deadline on Saturday night as he launched ‘Operation Midnight Hammer’, sending a fleet of B-2 bombers to key nuclear sites.
The US strikes included 14 bunker-buster bombs, more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles and over 125 military aircraft.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a morning press conference that the strikes were ‘bold’ and ‘brilliant’, and warned Iran that there would be dire consequences if it does not come to the negotiating table.
Officials admitted that the strikes on the Fordow site, a deep underground nuclear enrichment facility, may not have been entirely destroyed in the operation, but described it as significantly damaged.
The press conference came as world leaders condemned Trump’s decision to wade into the conflict, with Chinese President Xi Jinping saying Trump ‘violated international peace.’
Iran’s foreign minister branded Trump a ‘lawless bully’ who ‘betrayed’ diplomacy after the US blew up three nuclear bases – as he warned the world has been thrown into an ‘unprecedented level of danger’.
Early this morning, Iran retaliated by targeting Israel in a devastating set of attacks – with emergency services reporting at least 16 people injured.
