Tehran, Iran. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had struck a US tanker in the northern part of the Gulf and declared that passage through the Strait of Hormuz would be under Iranian control for the duration of the war.
Claimed tanker strike
The Revolutionary Guards said in a statement carried by Iranian state media that the vessel was on fire. There was no immediate confirmation of the tanker strike. Iran had made a similar claim earlier in the week, which also went unconfirmed at the time.
Statement on Strait of Hormuz control
“In time of war, passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be under the control of the Islamic Republic,” the Guards said.
Implications for oil transit
The declaration over the Strait of Hormuz represents a significant escalation, threatening to choke a waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supplies transit daily.
US plans for securing passage
The United States had earlier this week announced it was drawing up plans to secure the strait and ensure safe passage for oil tankers amid the conflict.
How do you think the latest statements could affect shipping through the Strait of Hormuz?
