TEHRAN – Iran’s top military commander said Monday the Strait of Hormuz is "completely closed" and managed under the control of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)' navy, dismissing U.S. claims that the strategic waterway remains open and free, and warning that any vessel moving outside Iranian arrangements will have its security endangered.

Major General Ali Abdollahi, chief of staff of Iran's armed forces, made the remarks during visits to the coasts of the Persian Gulf, its islands and the Sea of Oman, accompanied by IRGC commanders and regular army navies.

"The naval and ground forces of the IRGC have complete control and dominance over the coasts of the Persian Gulf, the islands and the Strait of Hormuz, and any movement in this region is under serious surveillance," Abdollahi said, thanking the "valiant fighters" of the army, the IRGC and the Basij.

"Contrary to the propaganda and media claims of American leaders that the Strait of Hormuz is open and free, this strategic waterway is completely closed and is managed under the control and supervision of the powerful navy of the IRGC."

He said the naval and ground forces of the army, enjoying high readiness and morale, have "complete dominance and surveillance" over the open waters of the Sea of Oman and its coasts, and by keeping all enemy movements in the region under observation "do not allow violators' vessels to pass."

The entire Persian Gulf region and its islands, the Sea of Oman and its coasts, and the east and west of the Strait of Hormuz are under the control of Iran's powerful armed forces "with very high capability," he said, adding that "while the Strait of Hormuz is closed, no vessel is allowed to move in this strategic waterway outside of Iranian arrangements."

"Any violating vessel that seeks, for whatever reason, to move outside the designated route and Iranian arrangements will have its security endangered and will suffer serious damage," Abdollahi warned.

The commander said Iran's armed forces in the Persian Gulf, the islands, the Strait of Hormuz and the coasts of the Sea of Oman are "far more prepared than in the past and with new and more advanced equipment than before, present in the region powerfully and authoritatively, and will confront any evil and aggression by the enemy more intensely than in the past."

The remarks come amid an eight-month U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, during which the Strait of Hormuz — through which a substantial share of global seaborne oil passes — has been a central flashpoint.