Iran’s newly elected Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said on Thursday that he would continue to close the key Strait of Hormuz. In his first message after succeeding his father, Ali Khamenei, he added that he would ‘avenge the blood of all martyrs and will make them (enemies) fail in a regrettable way’. Mojtaba became Supreme Leader on Sunday, after the assassination of his father in a US and Israeli attack on February 28.
Escalation in the World’s Key Oil Route
In the narrow waterway of the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and Oman, ships have been lined up to pass through the strait for the past eight days. On Wednesday, three vessels were struck by Iranian projectiles. A radio message, believed to be from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, informed the ships that passage through the Strait of Hormuz is forbidden. Iran made the call to close the strait in a bid to put pressure on the global energy market, placing vessels in the area at risk. Among the 1,000 ships waiting to pass through, almost 200 are oil tankers, disrupting global energy trade.
Threat to Global Energy Flows
This key waterway handles about 20 million barrels of crude oil per day and serves as a significant passageway for natural gas. As a result, closure of the strait will have a severe impact on the price and availability of natural gas and petroleum worldwide. The key imports through this chokepoint go to Gulf and Asian countries, including India, China, Japan, Sri Lanka, and South Korea, all of which will be severely impacted if the closure continues. At the same time, Middle East producers such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Kuwait have cut production, as they can no longer load oil onto tankers and must pump it into storage. Energy infrastructure has also been impacted across Gulf countries, so even if the strait reopens, normal operations may take time to resume.
Although legally an international waterway, the Strait of Hormuz lies between Iran’s heavily guarded military bases, across its northern coast, and the United States and allied naval forces patrol nearby waters.
Who is Mojtaba Khamenei?
Born in 1969, Mojtaba Khamenei is the second son of Ayatullah Ali Khamenei. Known as his father’s gatekeeper and confidante, he has never held a public office or a public speech. He served on the front lines at the age of 17 during the Iran-Iraq War and is well-connected with high-ranking officers and officials. Early reports had indicated that he was injured in the attack that killed his father, mother, wife, sister, and other family members. The 56-year-old leader is yet to make a public appearance. Instead, his first message was relayed through an announcer, expressing defiance and a call for revenge.
