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Iran declared it would 'close' a shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz used to evade its blockade, after a tanker was attacked off Qatar amid a wave of maritime attacks pushing oil prices above $100 a barrel. Senior Iranian military officials, including the IRGC commander-in-chief and the navy commander, called Hormuz security a 'red line' and insisted the strait remains under Iran's control until its demands are met, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tehran had 'lost complete control' of the waterway. The standoff has driven extraordinary costs for commercial shipping, with tanker captains reportedly being paid up to $100,000 a month plus bonuses to navigate the strait. The conflicting claims over who controls Hormuz highlight the strategic and economic stakes of the broader US-Iran confrontation.