The Iranian Parliament has voted in favour of closing the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most crucial oil shipping routes, in response to recent US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, media reports said.
Although the vote demonstrates strong parliamentary sentiment, the ultimate decision rests with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The parliamentary resolution serves as a recommendation to the country’s top leadership regarding potential retaliatory measures.
“The Parliament has concluded that the Strait of Hormuz should be closed, but the final authority lies with the Supreme National Security Council,” said Revolutionary Guards Commander Ismail Kowsari, a member of the Parliament’s National Security Commission.
The vote came after the US military carried out Operation Midnight Hammer on Saturday, deploying seven B2 stealth bombers that dropped 14 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bombs on two Iranian nuclear sites, including the heavily fortified Fordow facility. A third site was struck by submarine-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles.
US President Donald Trump stated that the targeted facilities had been “obliterated” in the 25-minute operation, which involved 125 aircraft. However, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine said on Sunday that a full assessment of the damage to Iran’s nuclear infrastructure would take time.
Notably, Saturday’s strike marked the first-ever combat use of MOP bombs.