Let's look at what's happening to oil prices after the US attacks on Iran. Live from the UK,

this is the Marketplace Morning Report from the BBC World Service. I'm Felicity Hanna,

in for Leanna Byrne. Good morning. There's more volatility for global oil prices following the US

attacks on Iran over the weekend. The international benchmark Brent Crude

hit more than $80 for the first time in five months before falling back. Now there's a renewed focus

on a key waterway, the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's state-run press TV reported that Parliament

had approved a plan to close the strait, but added that the final decision

lies with the Supreme National Security Council. Jorge Leon is head of geopolitical analysis

at the Energy Consultancy, Reistad. The importance of the straight is that around 20 million

barrels per day of oil pass through the Strait of Hormuz every day. So it is a very, very significant

choke point in the world. So if there is a threat of closing the Strait of Hormuz, the first thing

that we're likely to see is prices shooting up above $100 per barrel because of the increasing

geopolitical risk premium, but also most likely losses of exports around the world,

particularly coming from the Middle East.

Now the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called on China to prevent Iran from blocking

the strait. The BBC's Surinjana Tuari is in Tianjin in China, ahead of a World Economic Forum

meeting. Hi, Surinjana. Hello.

So have China's leaders said anything or responded? We haven't heard anything yet apart from

fairly standard Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemnation of the US intervention in the Middle East,

saying how important the Persian Gulf is for international goods and energy trade and that China calls on the international community

to intensify efforts to de-escalate tensions and prevent further regional turmoil.

And what kind of leverage does China actually have to influence Iran?

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