Iran has “lost complete control” of the Strait of Hormuz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said , adding “The Straits of Hormuz are open”
Iran will soon block what it calls illegal routes through the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) adviser said Wednesday, hours after Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the regime had “lost complete control” of the strategic waterway.
Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Naqdi, a senior adviser to the IRGC commander-in-chief, reiterated Iran’s stance that the strait is closed and that Iranian armed forces have “full control” over it, adding that the situation would continue until Iran’s “legitimate demands” are met.
Earlier Wednesday, Rubio said that Iran had “lost complete control” of the strait and insisted it was open to commercial vessels.
“The Straits of Hormuz are open. There’s almost as much oil flowing out now as there was before this conflict began. So they’ve lost complete control of the straits,” Rubio told reporters during a visit to Greece.
Maritime tracking firm Kpler said this week that oil exports from the region surpassed pre-war levels last week, despite ongoing attacks on ships in the strait. While the CEO of Shell said Tuesday that Oil flows from the Middle East are back up to around 80% of their pre-war levels.
Naqdi acknowledged that some oil was being ushered through the strait against Iran’s wishes, but he said the volume was minimal and did not indicate the strait is open.
He claimed oil shipments were getting through using new routes created by unnamed parties clearing paths that were previously unpassable, using explosives, but that such routes would be blocked “in the near future.”
CBS
