TEHRAN, June 19. /TASS/. Iran is considering closing the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for the actions of its adversaries against the Islamic Republic, an Iranian legislator said.
"The potential closure of the Strait of Hormuz is one of the options currently being considered by the Islamic Republic of Iran," Mehr news agency quoted Behnam Saeedi, a member of Iran’s parliamentary national security committee, as saying.
"Enemies of the sacred State of the Islamic Republic of Iran must be aware that if they threaten our fatherland and our people they will certainly face a devastating response. Decisions on how to retaliate to enemies will be made while taking the circumstances into account," he warned.
Earlier, Bloomberg reported that the United States is preparing for a potential strike on Iran in the coming days, acknowledging, however, that these plans could still change. The Wall Street Journal revealed that, on Tuesday evening, President Donald Trump told his aides that he had approved a plan to attack Iran but had yet to authorize such action, expecting Tehran to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
Roughly 30% of global LNG exports and some 20% of global oil and petroleum exports pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has previously threatened to close the waterway to traffic in the event of a national security threat.
Overnight into June 13, Israel launched a military operation, aimed at Iran’s nuclear program. Less than 24 hours later, the Islamic Republic carried out a retaliatory strike. In the following days, Tel Aviv and Tehran exchanged attacks again. Both sides reported casualties and damage, and acknowledged several facilities had been hit. Mutual strikes are ongoing.
Russia condemned Israel’s actions and expressed its readiness to act as a mediator in resolving the conflict.