Iran Closes the Strait of Hormuz

Darwin, 18 February:

Iran has temporarily closed the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s busiest and most important commercial waterways. The elite branch of the country’s military, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), confirmed this in a statement.

The statement said that the Strait has been temporarily closed due to a live military exercise by the defense forces. It will be reopened once the exercise concludes.

However, the IRGC’s statement did not provide any information or indication of when the exercise would end.

Earlier, the Revolutionary Guard had hinted last Tuesday that the Strait of Hormuz might be closed. Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri, the IRGC commander and spokesperson, stated that a live exercise was to be conducted in the Strait, and as long as the exercise continues, commercial shipping through the waterway would remain suspended.

“The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz for commercial vessels depends on the decision of the political leadership,” Alireza Tangsiri said in the statement.

It is worth noting that the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf, is a crucial route for international energy trade. Around 20% of the world’s daily oil and liquefied natural gas shipments pass through this strait.

Discussions between Tehran and Washington on Iran’s nuclear program began on February 6. The first round of talks in Muscat, the capital of Oman, has concluded, and the second round of dialogue began on Tuesday in Geneva, Switzerland.

Amid these ongoing talks, Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz for a military exercise. Earlier, two weeks before the first round of talks, the United States had deployed its massive naval fleet to the waters of the Middle East. That fleet’s warships and aircraft carriers are currently patrolling the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea, and the Persian Gulf.