The remarks came as the joint strike by the United States and Israel on Iran entered its seventh day on Friday (March 6). The war has been felt as far away as the Sri Lankan coast, where a US submarine torpedoed an Iranian warship, and Azerbaijan, which threatened retaliation after a drone hit an airport.
Click here for live updatesAzar said many countries and insurance companies are already taking precautions as tensions escalate.
“As we speak, America and other Western powers are making an effort to prepare a programme to safeguard the movement through the Strait,” he said.
He added that the US strikes on the Iranian Navy will significantly reduce Iran’s capability to threaten the Strait.
“Following the massive operations and the fact that the Iranian navy was basically obliterated by the US, this will significantly decrease Iran’s capability to hit the Strait,” he said.
Also read | Watch: Why the Strait of Hormuz matters to global oil supply and rising geopolitical tensions
Ambassador Reuven Azar added that he is certain there will be an international effort to secure the Strait of Hormuz in the near future.
Earlier in the day, Iran’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Saeed Khatibzadeh said the country has not closed the Strait of Hormuz.
“We have not yet closed the Strait of Hormuz. If we are going to close it, we are going to announce it…It has not been closed by us. We have no intention to do it until further notice,” he said.
What is the Strait of Hormuz
The Strait of Hormuz is a 55-kilometre-wide strait between Iran and Oman, separating the Persian Gulf from the Arabian Sea. It is a particularly important piece of global real estate in terms of the energy sector and one of the busiest and most strategically significant shipping routes in the world.
The closure has disrupted oil and gas shipments from the region and rattled markets around the world. Overall maritime traffic through the strait has dropped by 70% since the closure, with 18 loaded and 37 unloaded tankers remaining in the Persian Gulf, reports said.
About 13 million barrels of oil per day normally move through these waters — about 31% of global oil shipments. Blocking passage through the strait will certainly affect world oil prices.
Even a short-lived closure of parts of the strait in February 2025 led to a 6% jump in the price of oil.
