Iran inches closer to closing Strait of Hormuz, US wants China to stop it

TEHRAN: The Iranian parliament on Sunday approved the proposal to close the Strait of Hormuz – an expected move after the US attacked the country’s nuclear installations one week after Israel unleashed an unprovoked aggression.

After the news flashed across the world, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on China to encourage Iran not to shut down the Strait of Hormuz after Washington carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

Rubio said this on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo”.

Read more: Iran says US behind Israeli aggression, will consult Russia

According to the Press TV, Iran’s top security body will now give the final approval to the decision – a choice that is going to produce ripple effects around the globe.

The Persian Gulf is the one of the main supply route for oil as well as LNG, on which Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia depend for their exports. Hence, the Strait of Hormuz accounts – just 33 kilometres wide at its narrowest point –  accounts for 20 per cent of the daily oil consumption.

Read more: Strait of Hormuz: the world’s most important oil artery

‘LEGITIMATE TARGETS’

An advisor to Iran’s supreme leader said Sunday bases used by US forces to launch attacks on Iranian nuclear sites “will be considered legitimate targets,” AFP reported.

“Any country in the region or elsewhere that is used by American forces to strike Iran will be considered a legitimate target for our armed forces,” said Ali Akbar Velayati in a message carried by the official IRNA news agency.

‘TERRIBLE MISTAKE’

“I encourage the Chinese government in Beijing to call them about that, because they heavily depend on the Straits of Hormuz for their oil,” said Rubio, who also serves as national security adviser.

“If they do that, it will be another terrible mistake. It’s economic suicide for them if they do it. And we retain options to deal with that, but other countries should be looking at that as well. It would hurt other countries’ economies a lot worse than ours,” Reuters quoted him as saying.

Rubio said a move to close the strait would be a massive escalation that would merit a response from the US and others.

The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately provide comment.

WHAT IS SNSC

The SNSC is tasked with debating and forming consensus on critical national security issues confronting the Iranian system.”

According to Article 176 of the Iranian constitution, the duties of the SNSC are threefold: determining the defence and national security policies within the framework of general policies stipulated by the supreme leader; alignment of domestic and national security policies; and ensuring the country maintains the requisite resources to defend against internal and external threats.

With the president as its chairman, the other members include the ministers of foreign affairs, intelligence, and interior, the parliament speaker, the chief justice, the chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, the commanders-in-chief of Iran’s Army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Moreover, there are two representatives of Iran’s supreme leader, one of whom usually serves as the SNSC’s secretary, who is also technically named by the president.