Iran’s parliament has approved a resolution proposing the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping channel, in retaliation for recent U.S. airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities, as reported by state media on Sunday.
According to Iran’s state-owned broadcaster Press TV, the legislature reached a consensus on this measure. However, the final decision will be made by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Strait of Hormuz, which separates Iran from Oman, serves as a vital artery for oil exports from Persian Gulf nations. This narrow passage connects the Persian Gulf to the open ocean and is deemed one of the world’s most critical chokepoints, with approximately 30 percent of global seaborne oil traversing its waters. The potential for disruption in the strait has raised alarms amid escalating regional tensions.
The parliamentary move followed the U.S. offensive on Iranian nuclear sites, including facilities at Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan. The operation, named Operation Midnight Hammer, consisted of a series of targeted strikes aimed at neutralizing Iran’s capabilities to develop nuclear weapons, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated during a press conference.
In a broadcast to the nation on Saturday evening, U.S. President Donald Trump declared the strikes a “spectacular military success,” noting that Iran’s crucial nuclear enrichment sites had been “completely and totally obliterated.”