Iran Vows To Attack Any Ship Passing Strait Of Hormuz, Threatening Global Oil Supply
CAIRO, March 2 (Reuters) – The Strait of Hormuz has been closed and Iran will open fire on any ship that tries to pass, a senior official from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said on Monday, according to Iranian media reports.
It is Iran’s clearest warning since it told ships on Saturday it was closing the export route; It’s a move that threatens to choke a fifth of global oil flows and send crude oil prices sharply higher.
“(The Strait of Hormuz) is closed. If anyone tries to pass, the heroes of the Revolutionary Guard and the regular navy will set these ships on fire,” Ibrahim Jabari, a senior advisor to the commander-in-chief of the Guard, said in his speech carried by state media.
The Strait is the world’s most vital oil export route, connecting the Gulf’s largest oil producers such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
The shutdown was triggered by the US and Israel attacking Iran on February 28 in an attempt to oust its leaders, and US President Donald Trump offering to help the Iranians to oust the ruling clerics.
In response, Iran has launched numerous missiles at Gulf neighbors such as Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain, which host US military bases. Tehran also fired missiles at the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Oman.
With this closure, Tehran fulfilled its years-long threat to close 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 former foes the United States and Israel, amid fears that a full-scale conflict would disrupt supplies and destabilize the region.
The move also comes after global shipping suffered disruptions linked to drone and missile attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militants. The group has been targeting ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since the Gaza war began in 2023.
(Reporting by Jaidaa Taha and Menna Alaa El-Din; Writing by Jana Choukeir and Tala Ramadan; Editing by Michael Georgy, Nadine Awadalla and Lisa Shumaker)
