(BBC) – Iran’s top security body must make the final decision on whether to close the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian TV said on Sunday, after parliament reportedly backed the measure in response to U.S. strikes on several of Tehran’s nuclear sites.Iran has in the past threatened to close the strait but has never followed through on the move, which would restrict trade and impact global oil prices.

Below are details about the strait:

WHAT IS THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ?The strait lies between Oman and Iran and links the Gulf north of it with the Gulf of Oman to the south and the Arabian Sea beyond.It is 21 miles (33 km) wide at its narrowest point, with the shipping lane just 2 miles (3 km) wide in either direction.

WHY DOES IT MATTER?

About a fifth of the world’s total oil consumption passes through the strait. Between the start of 2022 and last month, somewhere between 17.8 million and 20.8 million barrels of crude, condensate and fuels flowed through the strait daily, data from analytics firm Vortexa showed.

OPEC members Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq export most of their crude via the strait, mainly to Asia.

The UAE and Saudi Arabia have sought to find other routes to bypass the strait.

About 2.6 million barrels per day (bpd) of unused capacity from existing UAE and Saudi pipelines could be available to bypass Hormuz, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said in June last year.

Qatar, among the world’s biggest liquefied natural gas exporters, sends almost all of its LNG through the strait.

The U.S. Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, is tasked with protecting commercial shipping in the area.

HISTORY OF TENSIONS

In 1973, Arab producers led by Saudi Arabia slapped an oil embargo on Western supporters of Israel in its war with Egypt.

While Western countries were the main buyers of crude produced by the Arab countries at the time, nowadays Asia is the main buyer of OPEC’s crude.

Donald Trump, the United States President yesterday announced the bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites, marking a dramatic military escalation that effectively signaled Washington’s entry into Israel’s war against Iran.

Trump said: “We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan.

All planes are now outside of Iran air space,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

In a televised address, he described the strikes as a “spectacular military success.

”The U.S. intervention has heightened fears of a broader regional conflict, reviving memories of the devastation in Iraq following the 2003 invasion.

Israel’s initial strikes on June 13 targeted Iran’s key nuclear infrastructure and top military commanders, killing over 400 people.

Tehran’s retaliatory attacks have so far left at least 24 dead in Israel.

While Iran’s nuclear programme appears significantly degraded, global attention now shifts back to the nations that already possess nuclear weapons — countries whose arsenals shape the world’s balance of power.

As of this year 2025, nine countries officially or unofficially possess nuclear weapons, each with distinct strategic aims and geopolitical influence.

Here are Nine countries that own the most nuclear weapons globally:

1. Russia (~5,889)

2. United States (~5,244)

3. China (~500+)

4. France (~290)

5. United Kingdom (~225)

6. Pakistan (~170)

7. India (~164)

8. Israel (~90)

9. North Korea (~30–50)

Getty Image: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called on China to prevent Iran from closing the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important shipping routes.

His comments came after Iran’s state-run Press TV reported that their parliament had approved a plan to close the Strait but added that the final decision lies with the Supreme National Security Council.

Any disruption to the supply of oil would have profound consequences for the global economy.

China in particular is the world’s largest buyer of Iranian oil and has a close relationship with Tehran.

Oil prices have surged following the US’ attack, with the price of the benchmark Brent crude reaching its highest level in five months.

“I encourage the Chinese government in Beijing to call them (Iran) about that, because they heavily depend on the Straits of Hormuz for their oil,” Marco Rubio had said in an interview with Fox News on Sunday.

“If they [close the Straits]… it will be economic suicide for them.

And we retain options to deal with that, but other countries should be looking at that as well. It would hurt other countries’ economies a lot worse than ours.

“Around 20% of the world’s oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz, with major oil and gas producers in the Middle East using the waterway to transport energy from the region.”