Iran could shut the Strait of Hormuz as a way of hitting back against its enemies, a senior lawmaker said on Thursday, though a second member of parliament said this would only happen if Tehran's vital interests were endangered.

Conflict between Israel and Iran has rekindled fears of a disruption to a narrow waterway key to the global economy. Skyscraper-sized tankers ferry roughly one-fifth of the world’s petroleum, as well as massive cargoes of natural gas,