Iran has warned that it may shut down the Strait of Hormuz if the United States enters the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel. The strait is considered one of the world’s most crucial oil transit routes, supplying the oil from the gulf nations to the rest of the world.
“If the United States officially and operationally enters the war in support of the Zionists [Israel], it is the legitimate right of Iran, in view of pressuring the U.S. and Western countries, to disrupt their oil trade’s ease of transit,” Ali Yazdikhah, a senior Iranian lawmaker, said to the semi-official Mehr news agency on Thursday.
Behnam Saeedi, who is a member of the Iranian parliament’s National Security Committee presidium, also echoed Yazdikhah’s warning.
“Iran has numerous options to respond to its enemies,” he said. “Closing the Strait of Hormuz is one of the potential options.”
The statements from the two senior Tehran officials came as US President Donald Trump is reportedly considering joining Israel’s offensive to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program.
The Strait of Hormuz, located in the Arabian Sea, is a narrow and strategic waterway connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman. At its narrowest point, the strait is just 21 miles wide, with two-mile-wide shipping lanes in each direction.
Around 26 percent of global oil trade flows through this strait. This makes the strait a crucial artery for the global energy supply. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), any disruption to traffic through this waterway would have major implications for international oil markets, potentially skyrocketing the crude prices.
Iran has repeatedly threatened that the country is able enough to shut the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Tehran views the waterway as a strategic asset that gives it leverage to bring the US and other powerful countries to the negotiation table.
Though Iran cannot barricade and physically close the waterway, however, it could make the strait prone to attacks and make it perilous for commercial vessels and obstruct shipping operations.
There is a history to these claims made by Iran. During the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, Iran used sea mines, speedboats, and missiles, including Chinese-made Silkworm cruise missiles, to attack oil tankers and oil-loading infrastructure. The attack did not completely block the strait; however, it led to sharp hikes in shipping insurance rates and delays in maritime traffic, thereby increasing the crude prices.
A 2012 report by the US Congressional Research Service (CRS) suggested Iran could implement a phased strategy to obstruct the waterway.
“Iran might begin with a less violent option and progress over time to more violent ones or implement a combination of highly violent options from the outset,” the CRS report stated.
The report outlines the possible tactics that Iran can seek to block the waterway. These include declaring the strait closed to shipping without clearly explaining the consequences. Iran can explicitly threaten that ships transiting the strait or Persian Gulf may be intercepted, detained, or attacked. The country can also fire warning shots at vessels in the region to make its point. The report also mentions that Tehran can lay sea mines in the strait and nearby waters to disrupt the oil traffic. Iran can also use submarines, naval ships, cruise missiles, or aircraft to target foreign naval forces.
Any move by Iran to obstruct the Strait of Hormuz would almost certainly provoke an international military reaction, as the move would send crude prices soaring.
“An outright closure of the Strait of Hormuz… at present, this appears to be a low probability event. Were this to occur, it is not likely to be prolonged,” the CRS report highlights.
“It would likely trigger a military response from the United States and others, which could reach beyond simply re-establishing strait transit,” the report added.
Also Read: Explained: Why Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Is the Top Target of Israel
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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