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.
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 (33km) wide at its narrowest point, with the shipping lane just 2 miles (3km) wide in either direction.
More than 20 million barrels of crude, condensate and fuels passed through the strait daily on average last year, 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.
(Reuters/NAN)
