LONDON — Britain warned Iran on Monday that retaliatory fire on U.S. bases in the Middle East and the blockading of a key trade route would be a “catastrophic mistake.”
The Iranian parliament on Sunday endorsed a measure to close the Strait of Hormuz, a vital — and narrow — gateway for oil shipments from Persian Gulf countries.
The final decision, which will be made as Iran mulls its response to U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend, rests with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
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Speaking to the BBC on Monday, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he had urged his Iranian counterpart not to further escalate the conflict — and insisted that the supreme leader “gets” that it would be a mistake to blockade the strait.
