International Desk : The Middle East is boiling over with continuous attacks and counter-attacks between Iran and Israel. Early Friday morning, Israel launched airstrikes on several nuclear and military installations in Iran, including Tehran.
Iran responded with a powerful counter-attack on Israel, which in turn led to Israeli strikes on Iranian oil and energy facilities. Now, analysts suggest that if attacks on Iran`s oil and energy infrastructure intensify, Iran could close the Strait of Hormuz.
Al Jazeera reported this information on Sunday (June 15), citing analysts.
The news outlet quoted Sina Toossi, a senior analyst at the US-based Center for International Policy, who stated that if Israel launches larger attacks on Iran`s oil and energy infrastructure, Iran might close the Strait of Hormuz, calling it Tehran`s "ultimate response."
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Toossi said, "This could be Iran`s highest-level response."
Iran has already indicated that closing the Strait of Hormuz is under consideration. Iran`s state media, IRINN, reported on Saturday that the government is actively considering closing the strait.
The Strait of Hormuz is the sole maritime passage into the Persian Gulf. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), approximately 20% of the world`s total oil consumption is transported through this waterway.
Toossi further noted, "We haven`t reached that point (closing Hormuz) yet. However, today Israel attacked a gas field in southern Iran. Conversely, there are reports that Iran also struck some Israeli energy facilities in Haifa."
He added, "Today, there were tit-for-tat attacks targeting energy installations. If this trend continues, energy supplies from the entire Persian Gulf region could be jeopardized."
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway located between Iran and Oman, through which most of the oil exports from Gulf countries pass. Notably, Iran previously threatened to close the strait in 2019 after the United States imposed strict sanctions on Tehran`s oil exports.
