Donald Trump announced this Tuesday that the United States Navy will begin escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz as “as soon as possible.”
The Republican thus responded to the threat made by Iran to attack any ship that tries to cross the strait after declaring it closed.
“The Strait (of Hormuz) is closed. If anyone tries to pass through, the heroes of the Revolutionary Guard and the regular navy will set fire to those ships,” said Ebrahim Jabari, senior advisor to the commander-in-chief of the Guard, in statements broadcast by state media.
It was Iran’s most explicit warning since it informed ships it would close the export route on Saturday, a move that threatens to choke off a fifth of global oil flows and drive up crude prices sharply.
For his part, French President Emmanuel Macron proposed this Tuesday the creation of an international coalition to “secure essential sea lanes” after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
The strait is the world’s most important oil export route, connecting the Gulf’s largest oil producers, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
The shutdown was prompted by the US and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28 that sought to overthrow its leaders, and US President Donald Trump offered the Iranians help to overthrow ruling clerics.
In response, Iran fired several volleys of missiles at its Gulf neighbors hosting US military bases, such as Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain. Tehran also fired missiles at the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Oman.
The move to close Hormuz comes after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in an Israeli strike, which would threaten to choke off a fifth of global oil flows and drive up crude prices sharply.
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