New Delhi, April 2 -- The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on Thursday urged the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to sanction the use of force to safeguard the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian aggression.

Tehran has effectively blocked this critical maritime corridor - endangering global fuel stocks and destabilizing the world economy - as a reprisal for US-Israeli strikes that ignited the month-long conflict in the Middle East.

"Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, prevented commercial vessels and oil tankers from transiting, and imposed conditions on some to pass through the Strait," said Jassem al-Budaiwi, secretary-general of the GCC.

"We call upon the Security Council to assume its full responsibility and take all necessary meas...