New Delhi, March 3 -- A senior figure within Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has declared the Strait of Hormuz closed and threatened to ignite any vessel attempting passage, dramatically escalating fears of a global energy shock amid intensifying hostilities in the Middle East.

The warning, issued as oil and gas markets convulsed, signals Tehran's willingness to weaponise one of the world's most critical maritime chokepoints in retaliation for the Israeli and US bombing campaign that began on Saturday and killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior officials.

Ebrahim Jabari, a senior adviser to the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, delivered the stark message in comments carr...