Iran threatens to close Strait of Hormuz and block nearby shipping routes

Mohammad Resa Nakdi, a consultant to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander, warned that passages near the Omani coast deemed illegal by Iran will soon be closed, and said the Strait of Hormuz is under full Iranian control until its demands are met.

He contradicted reports that Gulf oil exports had nearly returned to pre‑conflict levels, noting that the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports cut about one‑fifth of the world’s sea‑based kerosene supply and doubled kerosene prices; after more than five weeks of war a ceasefire was reached in April and a mid‑June framework deal focused on reopening the strait, though Iran insists it alone will manage it, while early July the U.S. bombed roughly 90 targets on the Iranian coast and the Revolutionary Guard reportedly attacked U.S. bases in Kuwait and Bahrain.