US Reimposed Blockade on Hormuz; Iran Threatens to Halt 20% of Global Oil

The United States reimposed on July 15 a naval blockade on Iranian ports and vessels, on the fifth consecutive day of a military escalation in the Persian Gulf that has kept international crude prices elevated. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) responded with a direct threat: to halt all Middle Eastern energy exports for as long as the American offensive continues.

The blockade was announced by United States Central Command (CENTCOM) with the stated objective of "degrading Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping" in the Strait of Hormuz, The Guardian reported. The waterway, through which nearly one-fifth of the world's crude oil and liquefied natural gas transits, was the scene in the preceding week of Iranian attacks against seven merchant vessels that left nearly a dozen crew members dead, missing, or injured, according to American sources cited by the British newspaper.

The conflict, which broke out on February 28 with a joint US-Israeli offensive against Iran, has accumulated five months of hostilities. A provisional truce signed on June 17 collapsed in recent days amid intensifying combat in the gulf, according to Associated Press.

The IRGC stated in a communiqué that "the region's energy exports belong to everyone or to no one" and warned that the strait would remain closed until American hostilities ceased. Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani reported at least 30 civilians killed by American bombardments in the south of the country in recent days, while at least seven Iranian soldiers died in attacks on the Bampur military base in the southeast. Iran launched retaliatory airstrikes against Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait, countries that host American military bases. Jordan intercepted three ballistic missiles and Kuwait reported fires caused by the bombardments.

US President Donald Trump told Fox News that, if no agreement were reached within a week, the United States would strike power plants and bridges in Iran. Brent crude prices surpassed the one-month high reached on Tuesday, according to The Guardian.

The crisis has global energy markets on edge. With the collapse of the June 17 truce and the reimposition of the naval blockade, the risk of a prolonged closure of Hormuz and a major disruption to the global crude supply is the central scenario being monitored by traders and governments.

This article was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence from verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.