An adviser to the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has told the semi-official Fars News Agency that transit routes in the Strait of Hormuz deemed illegal by Tehran, referring to the southern pathway hugging Oman’s coast, will soon be closed, Reuters reports.

Mohammadreza Naqdi says these “few routes” have been created by blasting and damaging some of the rocky passages in the strategic waterway and are used by “small boats smuggling oil and transferring it to tankers”, challenging the narrative that Gulf oil exports are regaining pre-war levels.

“The Strait of Hormuz is closed, and the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran have full control over it. This situation will continue until Iran’s legitimate demands are met,” he adds.