IRGC Navy: Hormuz Closed, Kpler Data Refutes U.S. Oil Flow Claims
TEHRAN – The Strait of Hormuz remains closed, the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy says, dismissing U.S. claims about the level of maritime and oil traffic through the strategic waterway.
Rear Admiral Ali Ozmaei said on Thursday that the situation should be assessed based on what is happening at sea rather than statements issued by U.S. officials.
"The Strait of Hormuz is closed, and the reality must be seen in the field, not in the statements and remarks of U.S. officials," Ozmaei said.
He stressed that Iranian forces maintain firm control over activity in the waterway. "The Strait of Hormuz is closed. Our control over movements is complete and decisive. No movement in this strait escapes the eyes of the members of the IRGC Navy," he said.
His remarks come amid U.S. claims about increased volume of shipping and oil exports through the strait. However, data from commodity analytics firm Kpler showed that shipping traffic remained significantly below normal levels.
Nine vessels transited the strait on Thursday, up from five the previous day, but still below the August daily average of 12. All vessels used the Iranian shipping route.
The figures contrast with claims by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who claimed that "the seven-day average for oil leaving the Strait of Hormuz is currently up to almost 9 million bpd." However, Kpler recorded crude exports through Hormuz at 1.74 million barrels per day for the week beginning August 3, compared with 18.7 million barrels per day in the three months before the war.
Iran and Oman are holding talks on a new mechanism for maritime traffic through the strait. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said a possible agreement with Oman on a new shipping route will not, by itself, mean the strategic waterway will reopen, stressing that its reopening depends on separate security and sovereignty considerations.
"We are now going to reach an understanding on the route that both sides agree on, neither the northern route nor the southern route, but a route that determines the sovereign rights of both sides and ensures our national interests and security," he said.
Baghaei stressed that an Iran-Oman understanding on the route should not be confused with a decision to reopen Hormuz.
"The understanding between Iran and Oman regarding the new route has nothing to do with the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz; this understanding is a necessary condition, but not a sufficient one," he said.
He ruled out any return to the conditions before February 28. "There is absolutely no intention for the situation in the Strait of Hormuz to return to the conditions before February 28. We had a very difficult experience over these past few months; therefore, we must ensure that Hormuz is not exploited by the aggressor parties against us."
The spokesperson for Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters dismissed U.S. claims of normal maritime traffic, saying no vessel can safely transit without authorization and supervision by Iran.
Lieutenant-Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaqari said U.S. claims are "false and baseless," describing them as a sign of the U.S. military's desperation and helplessness.
"The Strait of Hormuz remains, as in the past, under the full management and control of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Zolfaqari said.
Iran restricted transit through Hormuz following the U.S.-Israeli aggression that began on February 28. Tehran later signed a Pakistan-brokered Memorandum of Understanding with Washington on June 17, with Article 5 placing responsibility for reopening and managing the strait with Iran.
Subsequent U.S. actions, including establishing an unsafe corridor near Omani shores and renewed aerial attacks, violated the arrangements and prompted Tehran to reimpose restrictions.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that the U.S. is making an "even bigger miscalculation" over the Strait of Hormuz.
"The U.S. has long miscalculated due to intelligence failures. Case in point: The war on Iran. Now, an even bigger miscalculation on the Strait of Hormuz," he said.
The Persian Gulf Strait Authority also rejected U.S. officials' claims. "Claims and repeated posts by U.S. officials that the Strait of Hormuz is no longer blocked do not change the reality. The Strait of Hormuz remains blocked and will not be reopened until Iran's conditions are accepted."