Iranian parliament approves move to close 'Strait of Hormuz', Press TV reports

DUBAI, June 22: Iran’s Supreme National Security Council must make the final decision on whether to close the Strait of Hormuz following U.S. bombing raids, Iran’s Press TV said on Sunday, after parliament was reported to have backed the measure.

Iran has long used the threat of closing the Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20% of global oil and gas demand flows, as a way to ward off Western pressure which is now at its peak after the overnight U.S. strikes on its nuclear facilities.

The decision to close the Strait of Hormuz is not yet final and it was not officially reported that parliament had in fact adopted a bill to that effect.

Instead, a member of parliament’s national security commission Esmail Kosari was quoted on other Iranian media as saying: “For now, [parliament has] come to the conclusion we should close the Strait of Hormuz, but the final decision in this regard is the responsibility of the Supreme National Security Council.”

Kosari, who is also a Revolutionary Guards Commander, had earlier on Sunday told the Young Journalist Club that closing the strait was on the agenda and “will be done whenever necessary”.

Asked about whether Tehran would close the waterway, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi dodged the question on Sunday and replied: “A variety of options are available to Iran.”

The strait lies between Oman and Iran and links the Mideast Gulf north of it with the Gulf of Oman to the south and the Arabian Sea beyond.

It is 21 miles (33 km) wide at its narrowest point, with the shipping lane just 2 miles (3 km) wide in either direction.

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Earlier, Gulf states, home to multiple U.S. military bases, were on high alert on Sunday after U.S. strikes on Iran raised the possibility of a widening conflict in the region.

U.S. forces “obliterated” Iran’s main nuclear sites with massive bunker-busting bombs in the early hours of Sunday in the region, President Donald Trump said, warning Tehran it would face more devastating attacks if it does not agree to peace.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, was on a high-security alert after the U.S. strikes, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Sunday, while Bahrain urged drivers to avoid main roads.

Kuwait, another key oil exporter in the region, said its defence council would remain in permanent session, according to the state news agency on Sunday, and set up shelters in a ministries complex.

Tehran has previously warned that if it were attacked by the United States, it could target American assets in the region, including U.S. military bases.