Iran has warned that it will soon shut down several routes in the Strait of Hormuz that it considers illegal, according to an adviser to the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
Mohammad Reza Naqdi told Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency on Wednesday that the routes in question run along the Omani side of the strategically important waterway.
Naqdi said the passages had been created by altering and damaging rocky sections of the strait. He claimed they were being used by small vessels to smuggle oil and transfer it to larger tankers.
His comments come as oil shipments through the wider Gulf region have increased, challenging the perception that exports are returning to normal despite continuing security concerns in the area.
According to provisional data from Kpler, the seven-day average of crude oil exports from the region reached 18.3 million barrels per day on September 30. Export volumes exceeded pre-war levels on 14 days during September.
The figures include oil shipments moving through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, as well as crude transferred through terminals and ship-to-ship operations in the Gulf of Oman.
Despite the increase in oil flows, security risks remain. Iranian attacks involving tankers and ongoing logistical difficulties have continued to disrupt shipping activity, raising questions about whether the higher export levels can be maintained over the longer term.
Naqdi also reiterated Tehran’s position that the Strait of Hormuz remains under Iranian control.
“The Strait of Hormuz is closed, and the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran have full control over it,” he said, adding that the situation would continue until Iran’s demands were met.
