Iranian official says 'illegal routes' in Strait of Hormuz to soon be blocked
USO•An adviser to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards commander said routes deemed illegal in the Strait of Hormuz will soon be closed. A seven-day average for crude exports from the region was 18.3 million barrels per day on September 30, provisional data showed.
1. Iran says routes will close
Mohammadreza Naqdi said Iran would soon close routes it deems illegal in the Strait of Hormuz, referring to a southern pathway along Oman’s coast. He said the routes were created by damaging rocky passages and used by small boats to smuggle oil and transfer it to tankers. Naqdi said Iran’s armed forces had full control of the strait and would maintain the situation until Iran’s demands were met.
2. Oil flows and ship traffic
A seven-day moving average for crude exports from the region was 18.3 million barrels per day on September 30, with volumes above pre-war levels on 14 days in September, provisional data showed. The total included oil sent through Hormuz and the Red Sea, as well as shipments from terminals and ship-to-ship transfers in the Gulf of Oman. Another Revolutionary Guards adviser said an average of 10 ships a day transited the strait, compared with 125 before the war began on February 28. Iranian attacks on tankers and logistical constraints have persisted.
