Iran has a stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, and as pressure mounts, it's threatened to target another vital Middle East shipping lane, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Tehran has effectively closed off the critical waterway, turning back container ships on Friday, and Iranian lawmakers are considering whether to charge fees to pass.

The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed for almost four weeks – throwing global oil markets into chaos – and there is no clear end in sight. This is why Iran can exert a virtual chokehold on oil shipping.

Traffic through the strait has fallen by 90% since the start of the Iran war, sending global oil prices skyrocketing.

Israel's defence minister said a number of other "senior Navy command officials" have also been killed. Iran has not yet commented.

With thousands of US ground troops reportedly on the way to the Middle East, speculation is mounting that they may be assigned to take Iran’s Kharg Island, a key fuel hub in the northern Persian Gulf which handles 90% of Tehran’s oil exports.

Merchant ships continue to trickle through the Strait of Hormuz as the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, the sectarian branch of Iran’s military, sets up a tolled passageway in another attempt to control the vital waterway.

The reprieve would ease disruptions in Malaysia’s energy supply, but the prime minister has vowed to make preparations for a more volatile future.

March 27 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates has told the U.S. and other Western allies it would participate in a multinational maritime taskforce to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the Financial Times reported on Friday,