Iran’s parliament has voted to close the Strait of Hormuz considered a strategic and vital asset.

A senior Iranian lawmaker on Sunday said that the parliament (Majlis) had agreed to close the key artery for world energy trade as a response to the US aggression against the Middle-East country and the alleged silence of the international community.

The lawmaker said legislators had reached a consensus on the closure of the strait, though Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has the final decision.

Located at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz is one of the most vital chokepoints in global trade.

About 20 per cent of the world’s oil, estimated as to about 17 to 18 million barrels per day, passes through it.

Global Oil Prices

The move could block $1 billion in oil shipments per day and is likely to send oil prices soaring.

The Supreme Council’s decision is expected to be made as soon as possible.

This handout picture provided by the office of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei shows him, flanked by the Iranian flag and a portrait of his predecessor the late Supreme Leader and Iranian revolution leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, giving a televised address in Tehran on June 18, 2025. (Photo by KHAMENEI.IR / AFP)

Iran’s major escalation in response to US strikes on its nuclear facilities “will be done whenever necessary,” media reports quoted Email Kosari, Commander in the Revolutionary Guards, as saying on Sunday.

The strait connecting the Gulf of Oman with the Persian Gulf is just 20 miles wide at its narrowest point.

Shipping lanes in the strait — which is the area deep enough for ships to pass — are even narrower at less than two miles wide in each direction, making them much more vulnerable to attacks and threats of closure.

Being a shallow channel, it is a target for underwater mining, while the narrowness of the strait makes passing vessels vulnerable to attack from shore-based missiles or interception by patrol boats or helicopters.

However, media reports say Iran has no legal authority to block sea traffic through Hormuz, and any attempts by its navy to bar entry to the strait would likely be met with a strong response.

Impact On Asia

In addition to Iran, the narrow waterway is a major channel for the bulk of oil from regional giants like Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

According to reports, the Asian continent is likely going to bear the brunt of any closure of the waterway as China, Japan, India, and South Korea get most of their oil imports from the Strait of Hormuz.

China, a strategic partner of Iran, is the world’s largest buyer of Iranian oil and would be affected by any closure.

People in Beijing on March 11, 2025. (Photo by Jade Gao / AFP)

It had previously used its veto power in the United Nations Security Council to block sanctions or decisions against Tehran.

Iran’s economy would also not be spared by the impact of the closure.

It last disrupted traffic in the Gulf in April 2024, when it seized an Israeli-linked container ship near the channel and accused MSC Aries of breaching maritime rules.

In April 2023, Iran seized a US-bound tanker, claiming the ship had struck another vessel.

US Strikes

President Donald Trump said US air strikes on Sunday “totally obliterated” Iran’s main nuclear sites, as Washington joined Israel’s war with Tehran in a flashpoint moment for the Middle East.

In a televised address, Trump warned that the United States would hit more targets if Iran did not make peace quickly.

Hours later, Iran launched two waves of attacks against its long-time foe, Israel.

“Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success,” Trump said from the White House, adding the crucial underground nuclear enrichment plant of Fordo had been targeted along with facilities at Isfahan and Natanz.

“Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace,” he added.

Trump’s intervention — despite his past pledges to avoid another “forever war” — threatens to dramatically widen the conflict, after Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign on Iran last week, with Tehran vowing to retaliate if Washington joined in.

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, hailed the US strikes, saying Trump’s decision to “target Iran’s nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history”.

In response, Iran’s armed forces said they targeted multiple sites in Israel, including Ben Gurion Airport, the country’s main international gateway near Tel Aviv.

‘US, Israel Crossed Red Line’

However, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, warned on Sunday that the United States and Israel crossed a major red line in attacking Iranian nuclear facilities, adding that he was heading to Russia for talks with President Vladimir Putin.

“They crossed a very big red line by attacking (Iran’s) nuclear facilities,” Araghchi said on the sidelines of a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul.

He was speaking just hours after President Donald Trump said US warplanes struck three Iranian nuclear sites, nine days into an Israeli bombing campaign targeting its nuclear facilities.

“The most dangerous one happened only last night,” Araghchi said while acknowledging he did not know the full extent of the damage done in the strikes, including one at the underground uranium enrichment facility at Fordo.

“I still do not have exact information about the level of damages, but I don’t think it matters… Last night’s attack was a grave crime,” he said.

“Through this action, the United States has dealt a serious blow to international peace and security,” he said, vowing that Iran would defend itself “by all means necessary against… US military aggression”. (CHANNELS)