Hatami says passage through Strait of Hormuz is severely restricted

Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major General Abdolrahim Hatami made strong statements about maritime navigation and strategic military control in the Strait of Hormuz during an official event in Tehran.

Operative Information Center-OMM reports that Hatami said operational responsibilities in the international waterway had been fully allocated. According to him, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy directly controls the western sector of the strait, while the Iranian Army’s regular navy oversees its eastern part and the direction of the Sea of Oman.

Rejecting claims that commercial vessels were moving freely in the area, Hatami said the maritime corridor was under a severe blockade:

“We exercise full and absolute operational control over the Strait of Hormuz. Reports circulated by Western sources that the strait is open to navigation are far from reality. To date, no enemy warship has dared to enter the waters of the Sea of Oman. The three commercial vessels that entered the area were also sunk after being targeted in successive military strikes,” the Iranian commander said.

Hatami said Iran’s position remained firm and unchanged, adding that passage through the Strait of Hormuz had been sharply restricted. According to the general, numerous foreign cargo ships and tankers that tried to transit the strategic strait without prior coordination with Tehran had either struck sea mines or been directly targeted by military drones and missile systems.

The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. It is a key route for global energy shipments, making freedom of navigation there a matter of international concern.