Iran’s Supreme National Security Council is considering a possible shutdown of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, state-controlled Press TV news said Sunday, following a vote by the Iranian parliament to take the action. The move comes following a series of US airstrikes against Iranian nuclear sites, including the well-defended Fordow facility, amid ongoing tensions with the US and Israel in the region.
Although no decision has been made, officials indicate that the shutdown of the waterway is now seriously being considered. It would have far-reaching worldwide consequences since the Strait of Hormuz is a critical transportation route for close to 20% of global oil and gas exports. The 33-kilometer-wide at its thinnest point strait, with shipping channels just 3 kilometers wide in each direction, connects leading energy producers like Saudi Arabia, Iran, Qatar, and the UAE to global markets.
The closure of the strait is likely to induce acute disruptions in world energy supplies and heighten the conflict beyond West Asia, risking global economic instability.
Former US President Donald Trump verified the latest American strikes in a post on Truth Social, announcing a successful operation on Iran’s central nuclear facilities Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. “A complete payload of BOMBS was dropped on the main site, Fordow,” he stated. Trump said that all the planes used had returned safely, and commended American forces for carrying out the operation.
Trump’s announcement came two days after hinting that he would make a decision “within two weeks” to join Israel in its military action against Iran. Reports had emerged of US B-2 bombers, which are equipped with bunker-buster bombs, being stationed prior to the strike.
In spite of previous warnings from Iran of retaliation, Trump finished his message on a call for de-escalation: “NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE!