Azerbaijan, Baku, Jul.13/ Trend F.Milad/
Iran may close the Hormuz Strait if its tankers are stopped or seized in international waters, a member of the Iranian parliament (Majlis) stated.
Nasser Soudani referred to the recent decision of the U.S. treasury to sanction the National Iranian Tanker Company, saying that such measures will lead to the detriment of the oil industry, the Mehr News Agency reported.
The United States ramped up pressure on Iran's ability to export oil on Thursday, identifying Tehran's main tanker firm and exposing dozens of its vessels as government-controlled entities.
In the latest set of measures designed to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, the U.S. Treasury identified the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC), 58 of its vessels and 27 of its affiliates as extensions of the state, which would undermine Iran's attempts to use renamed, disguised vessels to evade sanctions, the department said, Reuters reported.
The Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee put forward a proposal to block the strategic Strait of Hormuz to prevent the passage of tankers that carry oil to those countries that have imposed sanctions against Iran.
The measure would be a response to the European Union's oil embargo on Iran that took effect on July 1 and a new U.S. law that penalises countries that do business with the Central Bank of Iran by denying their banks access to the United States market. The law came into force on June 28.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most strategic shipping channels. It connects the vast majority of the world's countries with the crude oil that fuels their economies.