Can Iranian parliament's approval lead to closure of Strait of Hormuz? Here's all we know

Hours after the US struck Iranian nuclear sites, Iran's parliament has approved the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, state media Press TV reported on Sunday (June 22). A fifth of the global oil and gas supply flows through the Strait of Hormuz - a key oil shipping route. It connects the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. The narrow channel, approximately 33 km wide at the narrowest point, separates Iran (north) from the Arabian Peninsula (south). Reuters reported that Iran’s Supreme National Security Council will make the final decision on the move. The decision to close the strait, through which about 20% of global oil and gas demand flows, is not yet final. Notably, Iran has never blocked the Strait, amid any war or conflict.

Major General Kowsari, member of the National Security Commission of the Parliament was quoted by state media Press TV saying, "Parliament has reached the conclusion that the Strait of Hormuz should be closed, but the final decision in this regard lies with the Supreme National Security Council. Earlier, Iran’s foreign minister Seyed Abbas Aragchi, when asked by reporters about Hormuz, said simply that “a variety of options are available with Iran”.

Last Sunday, lawmaker and Revolutionary Guards Commander Esmail Kosari told the Young Journalist Club on Sunday that shutting the Strait of Hormuz is on the agenda and “will be done whenever necessary.” The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it was assessing the threat to US commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, near Iran, as “high.”

Meanwhile, Maersk confirmed that its vessels continues to sail through the Strait of Hormuz but added that the company was ready to re-evaluate this based on available information, as per Reuters. "We will continuously monitor the security risk to our specific vessels in the region and are ready to take operational actions as needed," the Danish container shipping company said.

US enters Iran-Israel war

In a major escalation of tensions in West Asia, the US bombed three nuclear sites - Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan - in Iran and warned the Islamic Republic of more "precision strikes" if it did not end its conflict with Israel. This came days after the US president said that he would decide within ‘two weeks’ if he needs to bomb Iran. The US strike came on the ninth day of Operation Rising Lion, under which Israel hit several nuclear facilities inside Iran, killing top military officials and nuclear scientists. The Israel Defence Forces said that US strikes “were in coordination with the IDF” and it was a “crucial step stopping the Iranian regime's aggression.”

As America entered the war, Donald Trump said that ‘there will either be peace or tragedy.’ "This cannot continue. There will either be peace or tragedy for Iran, far greater than what we have witnessed over the last eight days," Trump told a press briefing at the Oval Office. He also conveyed the goal of the US' strikes, saying, "Our Objective was the destruction of Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity, and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world's number one state sponsor of terror. Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.”