Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has declared that it has full authority over the Strait of Hormuz, following comments from United States President Donald Trump indicating he is ready to deploy the US Navy to escort oil tankers through the strategic waterway.
Mohammad Akbarzadeh, an official with the IRGC Navy, said in remarks published Wednesday by Iran’s Fars news agency that the strait is “completely under the control of the Islamic Republic’s Navy.”
Roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil supply passes through the narrow and strategically vital passage. Despite heightened tensions, Reuters reported that an oil tanker named Pola successfully navigated the Strait of Hormuz on its way to a port in the United Arab Emirates to load crude.
According to ship-tracking data and sources cited by Reuters, the vessel turned off its Automatic Identification System (AIS) tracker late Monday as it approached the strait and reappeared Tuesday near Abu Dhabi.
The ongoing US-Israeli conflict with Iran has disrupted global supply chains. Shipping activity in the Strait of Hormuz has been halted, while air cargo operations have also been affected due to widespread airspace closures across the Middle East.
Approximately 500 vessels representing about 1 percent of global shipping tonnage are currently waiting outside the Gulf at ports along the coasts of the UAE and Oman, according to industry sources.
Amid Iran’s tightening grip on tanker traffic through the strait, Brent crude prices have surged above $82 per barrel an increase of more than 13 percent since the conflict began and the highest level recorded since July 2024.
In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump said the US Navy would begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz “as soon as possible.”
“Under no circumstances will the United States allow disruption to the FREE FLOW of ENERGY to the WORLD,” he wrote, adding, “The United States’ ECONOMIC and MILITARY MIGHT is the GREATEST ON EARTH More actions to come.”
Pakistan seeks alternatives
Islamabad has asked Saudi Arabia to route oil supplies through the Red Sea port of Yanbu after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupted shipping, the Ministry of Energy of Pakistan said in a press release on Wednesday.
“Saudi Arabian sources had assured security of supplies through the Port of Yanbu on the Red Sea, which can help meet energy requirements,” read the release, adding that one vessel has been arranged to sail to Yanbu to lift crude for Pakistan.
Riyadh reaffirmed it would support Pakistan in meeting its emergency energy needs, it added.
Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik said most of Pakistan’s energy imports transit through the Strait of Hormuz, and the government is monitoring the situation closely to ensure the continuity of supplies.
