Iran threatens to target ships, halt oil exports through Strait of Hormuz

2026-03-02 - 21:32

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic and threatened to attack any vessels attempting to transit the strategic waterway, dramatically escalating regional tensions. Brig. Gen. Ebrahim Jabbari, a senior adviser to the IRGC commander-in-chief, declared on Iranian state television that "the Strait of Hormuz has been closed. We will attack and set ablaze any ship attempting to cross." Oil Export Threat Jabbari further warned that Iran would not allow "a single drop of oil" to leave the region and threatened to target oil pipelines as part of its retaliatory response. The Strait of Hormuz is a critical chokepoint through which approximately one-fifth of the world's total petroleum consumption passes, making any sustained disruption a potential trigger for global energy market chaos and economic instability. Regional Context The IRGC's threat comes in direct response to Saturday's US-Israeli attacks on Iran, which killed several top Iranian leaders including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Tehran has already launched retaliatory drone and missile strikes targeting Israel and Gulf countries hosting US assets. The closure of the Strait would represent a dramatic escalation with potentially severe consequences for global energy supplies and international shipping, drawing urgent concern from oil-importing nations worldwide.