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A senior official in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Monday that Strait of Hormuz is closed and Iran they will set fire to any ship that tries to pass, Iranian media reported.
It was Iran’s most explicit warning since it told ships on Saturday it was closing an export route, a move that threatens to choke off a fifth of global oil flows and sharply increase crude prices.
“The Strait (of Hormuz) is closed. If anyone tries to pass, the heroes of the Revolutionary Guards and the regular navy will set those ships on fire,” Ebrahim Jabari, a senior adviser to the Guard’s commander-in-chief, said in remarks carried by state media.
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The strait is the most important oil export route in the world, connecting the largest oil producers in the Gulf, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
The shutdown was prompted by US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 aimed at ousting its leaders, and US President Donald Trump offered the Iranians help in ousting the ruling clerics.
In response, Iran fired several barrage missiles at its Gulf neighbors that host US military bases such as Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain. Tehran also fired missiles at the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Oman.
With this closure, Tehran fulfilled years of threats to block the narrow waterway in retaliation for any attack on the Islamic Republic.
About 20% of the world’s daily oil consumption passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which is about 33 kilometers (21 miles) wide at its narrowest point.
Oil markets have focused on tensions between Tehran and its old enemies, the US and Israel, fearing that an all-out conflict would disrupt supplies and destabilize the region.
The move also comes after global shipping has already experienced disruptions linked to drone and missile attacks carried out by Yemeni Houthi militants on Iran’s side. The group has been targeting ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since the outbreak of the Gaza war in 2023.
