Iran says it will soon block illegal routes in Hormuz
Tanker traffic through the strait has been running near a standstill for weeks, with no reopening deal in sight.
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Map: The Gulf and Hormuz, marking Strait of Hormuz
UpdateWednesday, October 7, 2026 at 6:47 AM ET
The statement on closing illegal routes is attributed to an adviser to Iran's Revolutionary Guards commander, not to Iran's government as a whole.
The pledge to close illegal routes in the Strait of Hormuz was made by an adviser to the commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, not by an Iranian government statement more broadly.
Iran said it will soon close what it calls illegal routes through the Strait of Hormuz, a pledge that formalises a pattern already in place rather than announcing something new. Traffic through the strait has been running at roughly two vessels a day, against a pre-conflict average of about 125.
The statement follows the collapse of reopening talks, including Washington's rejection of Iran's ceasefire and transit terms, leaving the sequencing of any blockade still unresolved. By framing its enforcement as action against "illegal" transit, Tehran casts strikes on tankers, including recent UAE-linked vessels, as policing rather than escalation.
The standoff sits inside a wider exchange of threats. Iran's army says it is ready to strike first if it feels threatened, and president Pezeshkian has said the country is in an "all-out war" and will resist. Iran has also said its missile range can be raised "as the battlefield requires." On the US side, Trump has said Iran still has to be "finished off" and that its drone-making capacity is "soon to be gone," while also saying the two countries will soon "finish up," without details. Rubio has repeated that Iran must not be allowed a nuclear program, and Vance has tied an end to the conflict to a cut in 60% uranium enrichment, neither with a timeline.
The EIA has raised its 2026 Brent forecast to $98 a barrel, citing tight diesel markets and Hormuz disruptions, and expects Q4 Brent to average $105. USO has fallen alongside the standoff, down 1.85% in pre-market trading to $141.33 a share. With no lifted blockade or accepted deal in view, the risk premium on crude oil remains in place, and sentiment tied to broader Middle East exposure stays under pressure.