They will “fire on every ship” that wants to pass through the strait, a spokesman for the Revolutionary Guard announced. The move will have far-reaching consequences for the global oil trade.
A commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard has declared the Strait of Hormuz closed. The strait connects the Persian Gulf with the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean. It is only 55 km wide, but is one of the most important passages for the oil trade.
“The strait is closed,” said Ebrahim Jabari, an advisor to the Commander-in-Chief of the Revolutionary Guard. “If anyone tries to get through, the heroes of the Revolutionary Guard and the navy will set these ships on fire.”
It had already been feared in advance that Iran would take this step. The blockade follows the attack on Iran by the USA and Israel, in which over 1,200 targets in the country are said to have been hit so far. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s political leader, and other high-ranking officials were killed in the attacks.
The Revolutionary Guard is effectively planning to turn off the oil tap completely. To this end, not only is the Strait of Hormuz to be closed, but attacks on pipelines are also planned. “Not a drop of oil” will leave Iran, Jabbari wrote on the Revolutionary Guard’s Telegram channel. The US is dependent on oil from the region, but it will no longer reach it, he said, and the oil price will rise to over $200.
Around a fifth of the global oil supply is transported via the Strait of Hormuz; the closure will therefore have far-reaching consequences for the global economy. Oil prices had already risen sharply on Monday, as refineries in the region had already been damaged in the course of the war and the security situation for shipping had worsened. The Ras Tanura refinery in Saudi Arabia, one of the most important production and export locations in the Persian Gulf, was one of the targets attacked.
