Ships ‘not allowed’ through world’s most vital export route as Iran lashes out over supreme leader’s death

In response to the ongoing operations, Tehran launched retaliatory strikes across the Middle East with missiles and bombs raining down on Israel, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Jordan.

Now, the wounded regime is seemingly attempting to block the passing of ships, critical to global oil exports, through its waters.

The Strait of Hormuz serves as the world's most critical chokepoint for petroleum exports, linking major oil-producing nations, including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates, to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.

Approximately one-fifth of global oil consumption transits through this narrow waterway daily.

Maritime security experts have consistently cautioned that even partial disruptions to shipping through the strait could trigger massive shockwaves in the global energy markets and the wider economy.

For years, Iran has issued warnings about potentially blocking the strait should the Islamic Republic face an attack, though such threats have never materialised into an actual full closure.

Now, vessels operating in the Gulf have been receiving radio transmissions from the Revolutionary Guards, who have declared that passage through the Strait of Hormuz is prohibited.

The information comes from an official in the European Union's naval mission Aspides who spoke to Reuters.

They confirmed that ships had received VHF radio messages stating "no ship is allowed to pass the Strait of Hormuz".

Tehran has not officially acknowledged issuing any such directive, the Aspides official noted.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency has separately confirmed receiving numerous reports from vessels in the Gulf regarding the Strait's closure.

UKMTO stated there had been no immediate verification from Iranian authorities about the purported blockade.

On Saturday, crude oil prices surged ahead of US President Donald Trump and Israel launching military action against Iran in the early hours of this morning.

Data showed that prices of Brent crude oil shot to around $72.5 to $72.9 per barrel, while the US benchmark WTI oil sits at around $67 per barrel.

Last night, Iran officially announced the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei hours after declaring the 86-year-old was "safe and sound".

The Ayatollah was killed at his office on Saturday morning, Iranian state TV has confirmed in a broadcast featuring images of the late leader reciting the Qur’an beneath a black banner.

In the aftermath of his death, 40 days of public mourning have been declared across the country.

Israel and the US were blamed, with the statement describing the Ayatollah’s “martyrdom” as the beginning of an “uprising against the oppressors”.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards released a statement shortly afterwards confirming they were mourning the loss of the Supreme Leader.

It read: "We have lost a great leader and we are mourning him, a leader who was unique in in terms of purity of spirit, strength of faith, resourcefulness in affairs, courage in the face of the arrogant, and jihad in the path of God."

The elite military force vowed to unleash its "most intensive" attacks yet on Israel and the US imminently.

President Donald Trump had confirmed the Supreme Leader's death on his Truth Social platform on Saturday, saying: "Khamenei, one of the most evil people in history, is dead.

"This is not only justice for the people of Iran, but for all great Americans, and those people from many countries throughout the world, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty thugs.

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