2026-02-12 16:41
publication
2026-02-12 16:41
An armed conflict between Washington and Tehran would lead to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, said Jalal Degani Firuzabadi, secretary of Iran's Strategic Council on Foreign Relations (SCFR), the BBC reported.
– If war breaks out in the region, the strait will be closed, Firuzabadi said, adding that the first country to suffer as a result of such a development would be China. Beijing imports crude oil from the Persian Gulf, and 20% of its oil flows daily through the Strait of Hormuz, which is 40 km wide at its narrowest point. world oil exports, about 17 million barrels.
SCFR is a state advisory body established by Iran's supreme spiritual and political leader, Ali Khamenei. Its chairman is former Minister of Foreign Affairs Kamal Charrazi. The current head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abbas Aragchi, is a member of the Council.
US President Donald Trump threatened Iran's theocratic authorities with war if they did not reach a nuclear agreement that would prevent Tehran from building a nuclear arsenal.
The West has suspected for years that Iran, which is intensively enriching uranium to a level many times exceeding civilian uses, is seeking to produce nuclear weapons. In the face of growing tensions, in June 2025, Israel fired on Iranian missile and air defense sites, and the US bombed major nuclear installations.
Although talks on concluding a nuclear agreement are currently taking place between Tehran and Washington through intermediaries, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has not been able to inspect and verify the Iranian arsenal for months, noted the Iran International website.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said Iran blocked the agency's inspectors from entering key uranium enrichment plants in Natanz, Fordo and Isfahan. Grossi stressed that under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Iran has the right to enrich uranium, but must allow controls so that the agency can make sure it is not used for military purposes. (PAP)
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