Iran's top joint military command announced Saturday it will close the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow Persian Gulf passage through which roughly 20 percent of the world's traded oil flows, citing continued Israeli strikes on Lebanon as a violation of a ceasefire agreement.
The declaration came Saturday morning, according to The Hill, and was issued by Iran's senior military command authority.
The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman. A sustained closure would disrupt oil supplies from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Kuwait, and Iran itself, with immediate consequences for global energy prices.
Iran has threatened Hormuz closure before, including during periods of heightened U.S.-Iran tension in 2019, but has not carried out an enforcement action at scale. Whether Saturday's announcement carries operational orders or functions as a pressure statement was not confirmed at time of filing.
Israeli government officials had not responded publicly to the Iranian declaration as of Saturday morning. The status of the Lebanon ceasefire remained in dispute.
Markets and allied governments are expected to respond when trading opens Monday. U.S. naval assets operate continuously in the region through the Fifth Fleet, headquartered in Bahrain.