Hormuz Strait remains open to oil tankers, Iran says

Former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and current secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council, General Mohsen Rezaei, has said that the Strait of Hormuz remains open to oil tankers “until further notice.”

Rezaei stressed that US armed forces and military personnel could be considered “legitimate targets” for Iranian strikes, The Financial Times reports.

Rezaei's remarks came amid escalating U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran (following the February 28, 2026, killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei) and initial Iranian threats/partial disruptions in the strait.

Earlier reports described the strait as "practically shut" or "prohibited until further notice," with warnings that transit was unsafe, U.S. ships barred from the Persian Gulf, and some tankers avoiding the route or receiving radio broadcasts from Iranian navy/IRGC halting passage.

By Khagan Isayev