New York/London (CNN Business) Could conflict in the Middle East disrupt global oil supplies? That risk is back in focus after a US strike in Baghdad killed Qasem Soleimani, a top Iranian general.

Tehran has promised to retaliate, and one place is particularly vulnerable: the Strait of Hormuz, off Iran's southern coast.

The channel, which is only 21 miles wide at its narrowest point, is the only way to move oil from the Persian Gulf to the world's oceans.

Last year, attacks on two ships — one carrying oil and the other transporting a cargo of chemicals — in the nearby Gulf of Oman caused a temporary surge in oil prices.

Analysts at the Eurasia Group said Iran's response to the killing of Soleimani is likely to include attempts to disrupt shipping in the Persian Gulf.

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