Strait | Pakistan

Iran will ​avenge the blood of its martyrs, keep the Strait of Hormuz closed and attack US bases, new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba ‌Khamenei said on Thursday in a statement read out on state television, his first remarks since succeeding his father following his assassination. In the defiant address, Khamenei said the United States must close all its bases in the region. The strait, which runs past Iran’s coast and supplies a fifth of the world’s oil, should remain shut to put ​pressure on the enemy, he said. “The lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must definitely be used,” Khamenei said of the waterway. Ayatollah Mojtaba vowed to avenge the deaths since the start of the war, saying it would remain among his top priorities. “A limited amount of this revenge has so far taken concrete form, but until it is fully achieved, this case will remain among our priorities,” Khamenei said in a statement read on state television. “We will seek compensation from the enemy, and if they refuse, we will take as much ...

On the 12th day of the US–Israel war against Iran, the maritime domain, particularly the Strait of Hormuz, clearly emerged as the principal flashpoint, shaping both the military trajectory of the war and the strategic calculations of the US as the contest over oil flows and shipping lanes began to define the central logic of the conflict. In the past 24 hours, at least three separate attacks were recorded against commercial vessels operating in or near the Strait of Hormuz, reinforcing the perception that Iran is now enforcing its threat to disrupt maritime traffic through direct kinetic pressure. The incidents occurred in quick succession and involved vessels from three different flag states, which pointed to the widening risks to global shipping. A Thailand-flagged bulk carrier, Mayuree Naree, was struck by an unidentified projectile roughly 11 nautical miles north of Oman inside the strait, triggering a fire that forced most of the crew to evacuate before the blaze was eventually contained. Shortly afterwa...

This handout satellite image taken by 2026 Planet Labs PBC on Monday shows smoke billowing following an explosion from the port of Bandar Abbas along the Strait of Hormuz.—AFP KARACHI: Escalating military conflict in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have forced global shipping companies to adopt precautionary measures for the movement of goods by sea as well as for their staff and crew, while some firms have indicated the imposition of war-risk and contingency surcharges on cargo. The Strait of Hormuz is a strategic maritime corridor through which nearly 25 per cent of the world’s oil passes. Any disruption to traffic through the narrow passage linking the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman could lead to increases in crude oil and LNG prices as well as higher shipping insurance costs. “Given that a large proportion of Pakistan’s trade transits through the Gulf region and the fact that most major shipping lines have already announced service disruptions, Pakistan’s trade will suffer dela...