Iran’s all-powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Monday that the Strait of Hormuz is now closed and warned that any vessel attempting to pass through the strategic waterway would be set on fire, according to Iranian state media.
The announcement marks one of the sharpest geopolitical escalations in the ongoing crisis between Iran on one side and Israel and the US on the other.
The statement came days after Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in a joint US-Israeli strike, an event that has sharply escalated tensions across the Middle East.
A GLOBAL OIL LIFELINE AT RISK
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints. Roughly one-fifth of global oil consumption passes through the narrow passage linking the Persian Gulf to international markets.
Any sustained disruption could send crude prices surging and rattle financial markets already strained by conflict in the region.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait in past confrontations, but a formal declaration by the Revolutionary Guards that it is “closed” marks a dramatic escalation.
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(With inputs from agencies)
