The Strait of Hormuz will only reopen to those who comply with Iran’s new laws, Tehran has said.
Ebrahim Azizi, the head of the Iranian parliament’s national security committee, said the passage would “certainly reopen” but not to the United States.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has effectively shut the strait, which serves as a conduit for a fifth of the world’s oil, since the start of the war in the Middle East on Feb 28.
Only vessels from nations “friendly” to the regime and certain ships which have been charged a £1.5m fee by the IRGC have been allowed to pass through the shipping lane.
Small boats loaded with merchandise sail past a container ship near the strait – AFP via Getty Images/Giuseppe Cacace
Posting on X on Wednesday, Mr Azizi wrote: “Trump has finally achieved his dream of ‘regime change’ – but in the region’s maritime regime!
“The Strait of Hormuz will certainly reopen, but not for you; it will be open for those who comply with the new laws of Iran. The 47 years of hospitality are over forever.”
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is understood to be preparing to join the US in a military operation to reopen the strait, according to Emirati officials, who spoke to the Wall Street Journal.
Diplomats in Abu Dhabi said the country was actively reviewing how it could play a role in the campaign to secure the key trading passage, the newspaper reported.
A UAE official told The Telegraph that suggestions of a shift in the country’s position on the war were “misleading”, but it was ready to “support collective international efforts” to reopen the strait.
The official said: “The UAE maintains a defensive posture focused on protecting its sovereignty, its people, and its infrastructure, and reserves its right to self-defence in response to ongoing unlawful and unprovoked attacks.”
The US released more footage of American forces attacking Iran overnight.
Donald Trump, the US president, who has suggested he could end the war in Iran without reopening the strait, told Britain and other allies suffering from rising oil prices to “go get your own oil” and to “just TAKE” the conduit through a military operation in a post on Truth Social.
The US president said on Wednesday that he was strongly considering pulling America out of Nato after it failed to join the US and Israel in their war with Iran, in an exclusive interview with The Telegraph.
Sir Keir Starmer later said that the UK would “not be drawn into the conflict”, but added that the Government would “push for a de-escalation” in the Middle East and “a reopening” of the strait.
Sir Keir Starmer said that the UK would ‘not be drawn into the conflict’ – Reuters/Frank Augstein
The Prime Minister also signalled that he would seek even closer relations with Europe in response to the souring of relations with Washington.
Asked about the US president’s comments regarding the alliance, Sir Keir told journalists: “Nato is the single most effective military alliance the world has ever seen, and it has kept us safe for many decades, and we are fully committed to Nato.”
Thousands have already died in the conflict, which has spread across the Middle East, disrupting both energy supplies and the global economy.
The war and subsequent closure of the strait have led to the price of benchmark Brent crude oil rising as high as $119 (£89) a barrel, where it briefly peaked on Tuesday.
However, on Wednesday morning, the commodity fell briefly below $100 a barrel after Mr Trump said the US will leave Iran in “two to three weeks” regardless of whether a deal is struck with Tehran.
In the UAE, residents saw fuel prices soar by more than 30 per cent for petrol and 72 per cent for diesel.
Drivers were reported to be queuing at petrol stations late into Tuesday night before the new prices coming in on Wednesday, according to Gulf News.
‘Address to the nation’
Mr Trump is set to deliver an address to the nation at 9pm (EST) on Wednesday (2am BST on Thursday) to update on the war’s progress, in which he could lay out plans for an off-ramp from the conflict.
Thousands of US marines and soldiers from the army’s elite 82nd Airborne Division have already arrived in the Middle East, as Mr Trump and officials consider ground operations that could lead to seizures of Iranian islands to secure the strait.
This has intensified speculation that the US president could order a ground invasion, possibly to seize Iran’s uranium or take Kharg Island, the country’s key oil terminal.
Overnight, Iranian attacks on Israel and the Gulf states continued, with a tanker struck off the Gulf coast, and a drone attack on fuel tanks sparking a large fire at Kuwait International Airport.
Smoke rises after an Iranian drone attack struck fuel tanks at Kuwait International Airport – Anadolu/Getty Images
An 11-year-old girl was left in a serious condition after being hit by shrapnel from an intercepted missile targeting Israel, according to the country’s emergency services.
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed it had assassinated a key IRGC official who helped to co-ordinate operations “for Hezbollah and the Assad regime”.
Mahdi Vafaei served as a leading figure in the Quds Force Lebanon Corps, a specialised Iranian unit which makes up an extraterritorial arm of the IRGC to help proxies outside Iran.