Iran Restores Strict Military Control over Strait of Hormuz Amid US Naval Presence
The Islamic Republic of Iran has declared that it has reinstated strict military oversight over the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic maritime chokepoint. According to Lieutenant Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the Strait is now under comprehensive management and control of the Iranian Armed Forces.
This move reverses a prior arrangement in which Iran had permitted limited, controlled passage of oil tankers and commercial vessels based on agreements made during negotiation processes. Zolfaghari accused the United States of repeatedly violating these commitments through acts of maritime piracy and theft, framed as a naval blockade.
Reports from Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), warned that persistent US naval blockades could result in Iran closing the Strait, severely impacting the global oil market, as around 20% of the world's petroleum transits this route. The reassertion of control coincides with a ten-day ceasefire agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump between Lebanon and Israel, an accord Iran had demanded as a prerequisite for ongoing negotiations.
Following the ceasefire, the IRGC Naval Forces announced updated operational directives governing the Strait, and Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, confirmed full navigational access for commercial vessels during the ceasefire period. Despite Iran's willingness to keep the Strait open temporarily, Iranian officials remain critical of the continued presence of US naval forces positioned in the Indian Ocean near the Strait, asserting that such deployments threaten Iran's security and contravene ceasefire agreements.
Iran's renewed military control reflects escalating tensions due to unresolved maritime and geopolitical disputes involving the US presence.
