Iran says the Strait of Hormuz is closed and it will fire on any ship trying to pass, Iranian media has reported.
About a fifth of the world’s total oil consumption passes through the Strait.
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The Strait of Hormuz lies between Oman and Iran. It links the Gulf north of it with the Gulf of Oman to the south and the Arabian Sea beyond.
It is 21 miles (33 km) wide at its narrowest point, with the shipping lane just 2 miles (3 km) wide in either direction.
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More than 20 million barrels of crude, condensate and fuels passed through the strait daily last year on average, data from analytics firm Vortexa showed.
OPEC members Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Iraq export most of their crude via the Strait, mainly to Asia.
Qatar, among the world’s biggest liquefied natural gas exporters, sends almost all of its LNG through the strait.
However, even before the Iranian announcement, ships have been reluctant to pass through the Strait for fear of attack.
READ ALSO: US urges citizens to leave Middle Eastern countries, including Israel, as war with Iran escalates
The announcement by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) is the latest escalation of the war started on Saturday by the US and Israel, when they attacked Iran.
Iran has since fired retaliatory strikes on Israel and US interests in the region, leading many Middle Eastern countries to close their airspace and shut schools and businesses. On Monday, the US asked its citizens in over a dozen Middle Eastern countries, including Israel, to leave for safety reasons.
Over 600 people have been killed in Iran, while six US soldiers have been killed, and 10 people have been confirmed killed in Israel.
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