The United States on Sunday warned Iran against closing the Strait of Hormuz, a key gateway for oil supplies in West Asia. This came after the Iranian Parliament approved the closure of the strategically important sea passage in retaliation to the US strikes at three nuclear sites in Iran amid unrest in the Middle East.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, while speaking with Fox News, said Iran’s decision to shut the Strait of Hormuz would serve as an ‘economic suicide’ for them and the US “retains options” to deal with this.

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Rubio also called on China to persuade Iran not to go forward with the decision, as Beijing also depends on this route for its oil supplies. "I encourage the Chinese government in Beijing to call them about that, because they heavily depend on the Straits of Hormuz for their oil," Reuters quoted Rubio as saying during the show.

"If they do that, it will be another terrible mistake. It's economic suicide for them if they do it. 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," he added.

The Strait of Hormuz, located between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, serves as the sole maritime gateway from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean. It is considered one of the most strategically vital chokepoints in the world. According to Bloomberg, approximately one-fifth of the world’s daily oil supply passes through this narrow waterway.

America’s Sunday strikes at Iran’s nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan have escalated the conflict in the Middle East. US President Donald Trump, in his address from the White House, said Tehran’s nuclear sites were ‘completely obliterated’ in the operation.

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Furious over the US strikes, Iran retaliated by attacking several targets in Israel. Iran fired a barrage of ballistic missiles at Haifa and Tel Aviv, injuring several people.