Iran's Parliament Votes To Close Straits of Hormuz After US Attacks
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
The Iranian Parliament has voted in support of closing the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical oil transit chokepoints, according to media reports.
Any final decision on retaliation, however, will rest with the country's Supreme National Security Council and leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The parliament vote merely advises him of the option to pursue.
"The Parliament has reached the conclusion that the Strait of Hormuz should be closed, but the final decision in this regard lies with the Supreme National Security Council," Revolutionary Guards Commander Ismail Kowsari, member of the National Security Commission of the Parliament, announced on Sunday, according to Al Arabiya and the Jerusalem Post.
The vote took place Sunday following the U.S. Operation Midnight Hammer, in which seven B2 stealth bombers flew into Iran and dropped 14 Massive Ordinance Penetrator (MOP) bombs on two of Iran's nuclear sites, including the Fordow site. A third site was hit with Tomahawk submarine-launched cruise missiles.
President Donald Trump said that the sites had been obliterated by the U.S. operation, which included 125 aircraft overall in an operation that took 25 minutes to complete. However, Trump's Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Dan Caine said Sunday that it will take some time to assess the full extent of damage to the sites.
The MOP bombs used to hit the sites had never been deployed in a combat scenario prior to Saturday's strikes.
This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
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