US rejects Iranian claim on closing Strait of Hormuz

Abdullateef Fowewe

United States Central Command has dismissed as false a statement by an Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps official asserting that the Strait of Hormuz is closed and under Iran’s full control.

In a statement on X, CENTCOM stated, “CLAIM: Earlier today, a general from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed in media reports that ‘the Strait of Hormuz is closed’ and his country has ‘full control over it.’ This is FALSE.”

“FACT: Traffic is flowing through the Strait of Hormuz right now carrying commercial goods and energy supplies, including 20 million barrels of crude oil. The United States and regional partners clearly control the strait,” the command added.

The rebuttal responded to remarks by Brigadier General Mohammadreza Naqdi, a senior adviser to the IRGC commander.

Naqdi told Iranian media that the strait “is closed, and the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran have full control over it,” and that the situation would continue until Iran’s “legitimate demands are met.”

He also said a limited number of “illegal routes” created by blasting rocky passages—used by small boats for oil smuggling would soon be blocked.

The exchange is the latest in a prolonged dispute over the strategic waterway, which began after major escalation in late February 2026 involving U.S. and Israeli actions against Iran.

Since then, commercial shipping through the strait has been heavily restricted, with independent trackers reporting AIS-visible traffic running at roughly 10 percent of pre-crisis levels of about 85 vessels per day. Oil flows have partially recovered in recent months through alternative measures and limited passages, though figures remain contested between the two sides.

Iran maintains that any full reopening depends on the end of what it calls U.S. military aggression and recognition of its red lines, while Washington and its partners insist the waterway remains open under their effective control.