The 13-mile Strait of Hormuz, largely controlled by Iran, has become a focal point in the two-week-old Israel- and U.S.-led conflict against Iran -- and within Iran itself.

Threats to the narrow waterway have been destabilizing global trade networks and sending oil prices to four-year highs over the last two weeks.

Already this week, U.S. forces sunk 16 Iranian mine laying vessels that could have been used to make the strait too dangerous to traverse. But just a day later, Iranian forces struck four ships working their way through the strait. All told, 16 merchant ships have been attacked in the Persian Gulf or the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the conflict, sparking predictions from Tehran that oil prices could double to $200 per barrel.

The latest news involves conflicting signals from Iran, where Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, told reporters in New York that Iran had no plans to close off the strait to commercial traffic. 

“We are not going to close the Strait of Hormuz,” Iravani said. “But it is our inherent right to preserve the peace and security in this waterway.”

Iravani’s remarks contradict earlier remarks from newly appointed Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who said, “the lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must continue to be used.” It was Khamenei’s first public statement since ascending to his position on March 8, following the death of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on the first day of the Israeli and American strikes on Tehran and other Iranian cities.