Iran's Deputy Parliament Speaker Threatens To Close Strait Of Hormuz

Mojtaba Zonnour, the Deputy Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, has said that Iran can block the Strait of Hormuz if national security is jeopardized.

Amid the Middle East conflict, Zonnour emphasized the Islamic Republic's right to stop and inspect ships in the international waters of the strait, citing national interests as a determining factor.

Known for his hardline stance, he claimed, "Generally, stopping and inspecting ships in the Strait of Hormuz is the right of the Islamic Republic. It is true that international laws govern global waters, and no country can act arbitrarily. However, the passage through global waters is free for everyone unless it threatens national interests." He did not elaborate on the international legal justification for such an act.

Zonnour, a hardliner, previously served as the Supreme Leader's Deputy Representative to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and chaired the Nuclear Subcommittee of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee in the Islamic Consultative Assembly until 2019.

His comments come amid escalating tensions in the region, with earlier threats from Iranian officials suggesting the possibility of closing the Strait of Hormuz in response to the Hamas-Israel conflict.

Last month, Hassan Norouzi, another lawmaker said, “So far, resistance forces in Palestine, Syria and Iraq are sufficient, but if the situation becomes critical and we are asked [for assistance], it is possible that we would go to war against Israel to support the resistance.”

Despite supporting Hamas financially and militarily for two decades, Tehran has so far refrained from any direct military involvement in the Gaza war.