After the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has now claimed full control over the Gulf of Oman . A commander of the country’s navy said that this strategic waterway is now fully under the control of the Iranian military.
The commander warned of “severe retaliation” against US forces deployed in the region, according to a report by Iran’s state-run Tasnim News Agency , adding that US forces would be targeted if they came within range of Iran’s missile system.
He claims that the US warship USS Abraham Lincoln has been forced to move far away from Iranian waters in the face of Iranian military exercises and missile activity .
The commander also said that the Gulf of Oman, including the eastern part of the Strait of Hormuz, is currently under the full control of the Iranian Navy.
Why is the Strait of Hormuz important? The Strait of Hormuz,
one of the world’s most important sea routes , carries about 20 percent of the world’s oil. Oil-exporting countries such as Saudi Arabia , Iraq , the United Arab Emirates , and Kuwait depend on this route.
Geographically, it is bordered by Iran on one side and Oman and the United Arab Emirates on the other. The narrowest part of the strait is only 21 miles, which is militarily important.
Analysts say that if this route is closed for a long time, global energy supplies could be disrupted and major volatility in oil prices could occur on the world market.
According to the international media outlet Al Jazeera , this situation has raised fears of renewed tensions in the Middle East.