Iran will temporarily close sections of the Strait of Hormuz for safety during ongoing Revolutionary Guards military exercises, state TV reports.
TEHRAN: Parts of the strategic Strait of Hormuz will be temporarily closed for safety during military drills by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
A state TV journalist reporting from near the exercises said the partial closure would last for “a few hours” to respect safety and navigation principles.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps began the military exercises on Monday to prepare against potential security threats in the vital waterway.
The drills follow a large US naval deployment to the Gulf aimed at pressuring Iran over its nuclear programme.
Iranian hardline politicians have often threatened to block the strait during tensions with the US, though it has never been fully closed.
Revolutionary Guards navy commander Alireza Tangsiri stated that a decision to completely “close the Strait of Hormuz depends on the decision of the country’s leaders”.
Around a quarter of all seaborne oil and a fifth of global liquefied natural gas transit through the narrow strait.
The International Energy Agency confirms the strait’s critical role in global energy shipments.
