Srinivas Mazumdaru, Nik Martin
Iran on Tuesday announced it would partially close the Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, a critical waterway for the world's oil trade.
Iranian state television framed the closure as a "security" measure due to military drills by the country's Revolutionary Guards, which began a day earlier.
It was unclear how long the partial closure would last. The Associated Press reported that the curbs would last several hours.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait, signalling that it can disrupt the key maritime artery that carries a fifth of the world’s oil.
The curbs come as Iranian and US negotiators on Tuesday hold their second round of talks about Iran’s nuclear program in Geneva.
The US has ramped up its military presence in the Middle East in recent weeks to pressure the Islamic Republic over its nuclear ambitions and the bloody crackdown on anti-government protests.
No comments:
Post a Comment