“Under No Circumstances”: Iran Rules Out Reopening Strait of Hormuz

Ali Nikzad, the First Deputy Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly (Parliament), has announced that, based on an order from the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, the Strait of Hormuz will “under no circumstances” return to its previous status. Referring to new policies regarding the management of strategic routes, he stated: “We will by no means return the Strait of Hormuz to its former state; this is the Leader’s command.” According to Nikzad, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic emphasized in his initial statements on this matter that other routes must also be identified and managed “just like the Strait.”

The “Leader” referred to by the Deputy Speaker of Parliament is Mojtaba Khamenei, who was appointed as the third leader of the Islamic Republic following the death of Ali Khamenei. Ali Nikzad further emphasized that new policies in this area will be pursued based on decisions made at the highest level of the state.

The Strait of Hormuz is considered one of the most important energy transit routes in the world, and any change in its status could have a widespread impact on global oil markets and the security of maritime shipping. The parliamentary member did not provide further details regarding how this order would be implemented or how the message from Mojtaba Khamenei was conveyed.

Since the death of his father, Ali Khamenei, Mojtaba Khamenei has become the leader of the Islamic Republic; however, to date, no audio or video of him has been released in Iranian media.