Iranian military officials have repeatedly stated that the Strait of Hormuz remains off-limits to vessels operating outside coordinated frameworks, with any easing of those conditions tied explicitly to acknowledgement of Iran's claimed rights and a drawdown of United States forces in the region.
On Thursday, Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, deputy coordinator of the Iranian Army, stated that ships wishing to pass through the strategic waterway are required to arrange clearance with Iranian authorities in advance. Around the same time, Army Commander Major General Amir Hatami and Army Spokesman Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia each issued separate public statements, both underscoring the armed forces' stated preparedness and their intent to maintain control over security conditions in the waters near the strait.
Speaking on the margins of a ceremony honouring army nurses, Sayyari contended that constraints on shipping passage had already registered in global fuel pricing, stating that the Strait of Hormuz had been closed. He added that fuel prices would have remained lower had a pipeline been active and transporting oil.
Describing the deployment of armed forces around the strait, Sayyari noted that Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval units held positions to its west, while army formations covered the eastern flank and extended their reach further north into the Sea of Oman. He made clear that passage through the waterway requires advance coordination and that ships proceeding without it may face repercussions.
Speaking at Imam Ali Officers' University in Tehran on Thursday, army chief Hatami told attendees that the Strait of Hormuz had been shut down following the outbreak of hostilities and would remain closed until Iran's demands were met. He put forward the position that opposing parties had miscalculated by underestimating the country's armed capacity, a misjudgement he held responsible for the outbreak of hostilities.
Hatami stated that both the army and the Revolutionary Guards launched strikes against designated targets within the opening hours of the fighting. He further stated that opposing forces had not achieved their military or strategic objectives.
Hatami disputed claims that the country's military had lost effectiveness, pointing to ongoing missile and drone activity alongside functioning air-defence networks as evidence that operational capacity remained intact. He added that vessels found to be in breach of applicable rules had faced enforcement measures, with passage through the strait now subject to considerable constraints.
During the ceasefire interval, the armed forces were said to have worked on restoring damaged infrastructure and bolstering operational preparedness. Forces spanning ground operations, naval capabilities, air-defence networks, and missile systems maintained their readiness posture to protect the country's borders.
Hatami added that attacks on Iranian infrastructure would be met with a heavier retaliatory response directed at the infrastructure and interests of the opposing side, with Israel and its partners explicitly named among the intended targets.
Addressing reporters on Friday, Army Spokesman Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia outlined plans under development aimed at extending the buffer zone between Iran's coastline and US naval vessels operating in the region. Akraminia noted that the country's air-defence capabilities had grown stronger, pointing to a number of instances in recent weeks in which defence units brought down US drones that had entered Iranian airspace.
According to Akraminia, naval vessels from the United States had been repositioned to points more than 500 kilometres from the Persian Gulf shoreline. He attributed regional instability to the military presence maintained by the United States, and urged neighbouring governments and the broader international community to acknowledge that role.
Akraminia stated that a withdrawal of American forces from the area would, in his view, allow the Strait of Hormuz to reopen, enable countries across the region to establish collective security arrangements among themselves, and contribute to an improvement in global economic conditions. He stated that if the forces in question did not depart voluntarily, authorities would move to remove them.
Positioned between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman — with the broader Arabian Sea beyond — the Strait of Hormuz ranks among the waterways carrying the greatest weight in global energy movement. Oil and liquefied natural gas move through the waterway in quantities that matter to energy-importing nations, shipping companies, and financial markets, and any interruption along that route carries consequences for all three.
Through its public statements, Tehran has framed the waterway as a cornerstone of its wider defence posture, asserting that transit requires coordination, that its military forces stand ready, and that any shift in the prevailing arrangement hinges on recognition of its sovereign entitlements alongside the trajectory of foreign troop presence across the region.
