Tehran declares strategic waterway will not return to previous status, warning of strict control and limited access under a so-called “new global order”
Iran has signaled that it intends to exert lasting control over the Strait of Hormuz—the world’s most critical oil shipping lane—after the war, warning that no country will be allowed to transit without its permission as part of what it described as a “new global order.”
The Iranian news outlet Nour News, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), on April 4 published remarks from a spokesman for the Iranian Parliament’s presidency under the headline: “The Strait of Hormuz Will Not Return to Its Former Status.”
The statement said the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20 percent of the world’s seaborne oil passes, “has become a strategic advantage” under new security conditions and “will not revert to its former status.”
It added that “management of this important waterway is in the hands” of Iran’s armed forces and that “no country has the right to pass” without Tehran’s approval. Iran, the spokesman said, would defend this position “with all its military power.”
Tehran’s path is “neither compromise nor surrender,” the spokesman added, emphasizing that Iran intends to consolidate its position within what he described as a “new global order.”
The remarks suggest Iran aims to preserve its ability to choke off the strait beyond the current conflict, using control over global energy flows as a long-term source of strategic leverage.
President Donald Trump has made restoring access to the waterway a condition for a cease-fire, while urging allies and major energy importers to take the lead in securing navigation through the corridor.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a postwar coalition, backed by the United States, would ensure the strait remains open.
“It will be open because Iran agrees to abide by international law and not block the commercial waterway, or a coalition of nations from around the world and the region, with the participation of the United States, will make sure that it’s open,” Rubio said in a March 30 interview with Al Jazeera. “But one way or the other, it’s going to be open.”
In a separate interview, Rubio added that the Trump administration has multiple options to counter continued Iranian restrictions or potential transit fees, though he declined to detail specific measures.
“That’s not going to be allowed to happen,” he said.
Trump, on April 3, suggested the United States could forcibly reopen the passage.
“With a little more time, we can easily open the Hormuz Strait, take the oil, & make a fortune. It would be a ‘gusher’ for the world???” he wrote in a post on Truth Social.
French President Emmanuel Macron cautioned that any military effort to secure the strait would be complex and risky.
“It would take forever and would expose all those crossing the strait to risks” of Iranian attack, he said, adding that restoring access “can only be done in consultation with Iran.”
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said after a meeting involving more than 40 countries that Iran’s strategy is “to hold the global economy hostage.” The discussions focused on political and diplomatic responses rather than military action.
The strait, which separates Iran and Oman, is about 21 miles wide at its narrowest point, but shipping lanes in each direction are only around 2 miles wide, leaving vessels highly exposed.
Some analysts say Iran is unlikely to relinquish control even after the war, particularly as it seeks to rebuild. Imposing transit fees on commercial shipping could become a source of reconstruction revenue.
Former CIA Director Bill Burns said Iran is likely to retain the leverage it has gained by disrupting maritime traffic.
Tehran will aim to use that leverage to secure “long-term deterrence and security guarantees” in any postwar settlement, as well as “direct material benefits” such as passage fees, he said in a Foreign Affairs podcast.
“That,” Burns noted, “sets up a really difficult negotiation.”
