Iran will attack any ship that tries to pass

This is the more explicit warning of Iran since it informed ships it would close the export route on Saturday, a move that threatens to choke off a fifth of global oil flows and drive up crude prices sharply.

“The Strait (of Hormuz) is closed. If anyone tries to pass through, the heroes of The Revolutionary Guard and the regular navy will set those ships on fire“, declared Ebrahim Jabari, senior advisor to the commander-in-chief of the Guard, in statements broadcast by state media.

“We will not allow not a single drop of oil leave the region,” continued the senior official of Iran’s elite military body. Yabari warned that both the Army and the Revolutionary Guard will “firmly confront any offensive vessel.”

“The oil pipelines are also within our reach and we will not allow the region’s energy resources to be at the disposal of the enemy,” he added. The general stressed that the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic are “fully prepared to overcome this difficult stage and the countermeasures will continue.”

Hours earlier, the Revolutionary Guard stated that there had attacked an oil tanker, identified as ‘Athens Nova’“ally of the United States”, in the Strait of Hormuz, which burned when it was hit by two drones.

Closure as a response

The strait is the most important oil export route in the worldwhich connects the Gulf’s largest oil producers, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.

The closure was caused by the US and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28 who sought to overthrow their leaders, and the American president, Donald Trump, He offered the Iranians help to overthrow the ruling clerics.

In response, Iran fired several volleys of missiles against its Gulf neighbors that host US military bases, such as Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain. Tehran also fired missiles at the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Oman.

The move to close Hormuz comes after the supreme leader, el ayatollah ali khamenei, died in an Israeli attack, which would threaten to choke off a fifth of global oil flows and drive up crude oil prices sharply.

The consequences have not been long in coming after the total closure of this strait through which some 15 million barrels of crude oil transit daily, a 20% of the world’s total oil.

International stock markets fell this Monday, with losses of around 2% in Europe: while the single currency lost 1.1% and was trading at $1.168 (last January level), The decrease of 2.62% in Madrid stood out, its biggest drop since Trump announced the imposition of tariffs, when it dropped more than 5%.

The barrel of Brent oil rose 6.68%, reaching $77.74 per barrel at the close of the London Futures Market session on Monday.

Texas intermediate oil (WTI) soared 6.28% this Monday, to $71.23 a barrel in the first session after the offensive by the United States and Israel against Iran. Immediately, in reaction to the statements, the Texas has soared 8% in the continuous futures market and the price of a US barrel reached $72.50.

Yesterday, Sunday, the OPEC+ oil alliance, led by Saudi Arabia and Russia, announced a production increase of 206,000 barrels per day “in view of stable prospects and low oil reserves,” without mentioning the war with Iran.