Iran says it will block unauthorized shipping routes in Strait of Hormuz
In short
An adviser to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Mohammad Reza Naghdi, said Iran fully controls the Strait of Hormuz and will block routes not coordinated with Tehran. Speaking of routes created by “violators,” he said they would be blocked soon and that the situation would persist until Tehran's legitimate demands are met, Interfax reported, citing FARS. TASS quoted him as saying the volume of oil illegally taken out through the strait is extremely insignificant, amid repeated US claims of control over the strait.
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An adviser to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Mohammad Reza Naghdi, said Iran fully controls the Strait of Hormuz and plans to block routes that are not coordinated with Tehran, Interfax reported, citing FARS. “Soon the small number of routes that the violators have managed to create … will be blocked,” Naghdi was quoted as saying. [ 3 ]
Naghdi said the situation would remain as it is until Tehran's legitimate demands are fulfilled, according to Interfax. TASS reported that he also said the volume of oil illegally taken out through the Strait of Hormuz is extremely insignificant. [ 2 , 3 ]
Interfax noted that in recent months US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said the United States fully controls the Strait of Hormuz, a claim that runs against Naghdi's assertion of Iranian control. The documents report no action by Iran to close any route, and no response from US officials to Naghdi's remarks. [ 3 ]
Russian state agencies RIA Novosti and TASS also carried the statement, describing it as Iran's intent to block illegal shipping routes and illegal oil transportation routes in the strait. [ 1 , 2 ]
Why it matters
The remarks set Tehran's claim of full control over the Strait of Hormuz directly against repeated statements by US President Donald Trump that the United States controls it, as reported by Interfax. The dispute concerns oil transportation routes through the strait, so it is likely to draw attention beyond Iran and the United States, although the documents describe no concrete action taken so far.
Key facts
- Adviser to the IRGC command Mohammad Reza Naghdi said Iran fully controls the Strait of Hormuz and will block routes not coordinated with Tehran [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Naghdi said the small number of routes “violators” had managed to create would soon be blocked [ 3 ]
- Naghdi said the situation would continue until Tehran's legitimate demands are met [ 3 ]
- Naghdi said the volume of oil illegally exported through the Strait of Hormuz is extremely insignificant, according to TASS [ 2 ]
- Interfax reported the statement citing FARS [ 3 ]
- In recent months US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said the United States fully controls the Strait of Hormuz [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Which routes or operators Iran considers unauthorized, and whom it means by “violators” The documents do not identify the routes, the operators or the states involved; only the general phrase is quoted
- Whether Iran has taken or will take any practical measure to close routes, and when Naghdi said only that this would happen “soon”; the documents report no action or timeframe
- How Iranian control of the strait is assessed in practice, given the US claim Interfax reports Trump's repeated statements that the United States controls the strait, but the documents give no independent verification of either claim
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- RIA Novosti reports that Iran intends to block “illegal shipping routes” in the Strait of Hormuz [ 1 ]
- TASS reports that the IRGC intends to block illegal oil transportation routes through the Strait of Hormuz [ 2 ]
- Interfax, citing FARS, reports Iran's promise to block all routes in the Strait of Hormuz not coordinated with it [ 3 ]