- Iran parliament member says Hormuz closure militarily prepared.
- Hormuz closure could imperil at least a fifth of the world’s oil supplies.
Iran has completed military preparations to close the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most critical oil transit chokepoint, according to a former Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps commander, underscoring Tehran’s continued threat to disrupt global energy supplies if regional tensions escalate, reports Platts.
Esmail Kosari, a member of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, told Lebanese news channel Al Mayadeen that Iran’s military readiness for a potential strait closure is now in place. His assertion that preparations have been “taken care of” suggests Iran believes it has deployed the necessary assets and capabilities to execute such an operation, though he stopped short of indicating any immediate plans for action.
“Military-wise, it’s been taken care of,” Kosari said in the interview cited by Iran’s student news agency ISNA. The former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander added that Iran retains full decision-making authority over when the waterway would be closed, stating, “It is us who will determine when it is open, when it will be closed.”
Hormuz threat
Kosari’s claim of completed military preparations likely refers to Iran’s documented deployment of anti-ship missiles, fast attack boats, and naval mines in the Persian Gulf region. The Revolutionary Guard has conducted numerous exercises demonstrating its ability to deploy swarm tactics using small, fast vessels equipped with missiles and torpedoes designed to target larger naval and commercial ships.
Iran has also positioned shore-based anti-ship missile systems along its coastline facing the strait, including variants of the Khalij Fars and other domestically produced weapons systems.
The timing of Kosari’s statements coincides with heightened regional tensions involving Iran’s proxy groups across the Middle East. Any actual closure attempt would likely trigger an immediate international response, given that approximately 21% of global petroleum liquids transit the strait, including crude oil exports from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, and Iraq.
In a worst-case scenario, attacks targeting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz could imperil at least a fifth of the world’s oil supplies, which pass through the waterway. However, Iran would likely take pains to avoid such a scenario, analysts say, as it would trigger immediate international response and threaten both its own economic interests and those of its allies in the Gulf.
According to the latest Platts OPEC+ Survey from S&P Global Commodity Insights, Iran pumped 3.21 million b/d of crude in June, which it mostly exports to China.
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Source: Platts
