Iranian official says ‘illegal routes’ in Strait of Hormuz to soon be blocked

Read the original at The Straits Times ↗
The Straits Times · collected 2026-10-07 · by The Straits Times

Quick Summary

On October 7, an adviser to the Revolutionary Guards’ Commander told Fars News Agency that Iran plans to block transit routes in the Strait of Hormuz it considers illegal. Mohammadreza Naqdi specifically mentioned southern pathways near Oman's coast used for oil smuggling. He asserted that these "few routes" created by damaging rocky passages are being challenged, disputing claims that Gulf oil exports have returned to pre-war levels. According to Kpler data, crude exports from the region averaged 18.3 million barrels per day on September 30, though Iranian officials dispute whether this increased flow can be sustained given ongoing attacks and logistical issues.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-07, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

On October 7, Mohammadreza Naqdi, an adviser to the Revolutionary Guards’ Commander, told the semi-official Fars News Agency that Iran would soon close what it considers "illegal routes" through the Strait of Hormuz. These routes, located along Oman’s coast, were reportedly created by damaging rocky passages and are used for oil smuggling activities. Naqdi asserted that the Strait of Hormuz is already closed with full control over its waterways held by the Iranian armed forces. He stated this situation will continue until Iran's demands are met.

Despite these claims, data from Kpler showed a seven-day moving average of crude exports from the region at 18.3 million barrels per day on September 30, indicating that Gulf oil exports were actually above pre-war levels for 14 days in September. This contradicts Naqdi's assertion about the strait’s closure and challenges the narrative that Iran is significantly impeding oil transit through the strategically vital waterway.

Written for “Iran Blocks Strait Of Hormuz Routes” on 2026-10-07, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted verbatim and was checked against the article text before being stored, so you can find it in the original.
Reading Leans right (beta estimate) Confidence high
Leaning: leans right for article 62955 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-10-07

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
8
claim-shaped sentences
Uncertain
0%
0 of 8 hedged
Leaning
Leans right
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Correction & hedging signals
59.3
corrections and hedging in what we collected; not a measure of accuracy
Outlets on this story
1
World
Narrative spread
1
articles carrying this framing
Analyzed 2026-10-07 · how these are computed

Story

📰 Iran Blocks Strait Of Hormuz Routes
World · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans right and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
West Asian crude oil exports exceed pre-war levels but tanker attacks increase different event · 95%
The Hindu
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 21% hedged 4 of 19 📰 publisher trust 60
“The articles describe different aspects of activities in the Strait of Hormuz: one focuses on crude oil export levels despite attacks, while the other discusses an Iranian official's statement about blocking illegal routes.”
Oman evacuates injured crew from attacked tanker in Strait of Hormuz different event · 95%
Al Jazeera
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 17% hedged 3 of 18 📰 publisher trust 60
“The articles describe different aspects of events in the Strait of Hormuz but do not report on the exact same incident.”
Three reasons Middle East oil is nearly back to pre-Iran war levels different event · 80%
BBC News
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 32% hedged 6 of 19 📰 publisher trust 72
“The articles refer to different aspects of the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, with Article A discussing the recovery of oil flow despite restrictions and Article B reporting on an Iranian official's statement about blocking illegal routes.”
Middle East oil exports surpass pre-war levels despite tensions, data shows different event · 70%
Al Jazeera
⚖️ Leans left further left than this 🔴 20% hedged 2 of 10 📰 publisher trust 60
“The articles discuss different aspects of oil export issues in the Middle East, with Article A focusing on surpassing pre-war levels despite tensions and a commander's dismissive comment, while Article B reports an Iranian official stating illegal routes in the Strait of Hormuz will be blocked.”
Iran says Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until conditions are met, says reports different event · 30%
The Hindu
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 4 📰 publisher trust 60
“The articles refer to different statements made on different dates about the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting distinct incidents rather than a single one.”
Iran vows to keep Strait of Hormuz closed until the US meets its demands as G7 approves emergency release of diesel and crude oil reserves amid global crisis different event · 30%
Daily Mail
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 7% hedged 3 of 41 📰 publisher trust 65
“The articles discuss similar threats related to the Strait of Hormuz but describe different actions and timeframes.”
‘There is no military solution,’ Iran tells U.S. as stalemate lingers on different event · 30%
National Post
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 8% hedged 2 of 24 📰 publisher trust 60
“The articles refer to Iran's actions in the Strait of Hormuz but describe different aspects and timing, with Article A discussing a stalemate on military solutions and heavy bombardment, while Article B focuses on closing illegal routes in the strait.”
Gulf oil exports tops pre-war levels amid ships facing ‘unpredictable’ threats different event · 30%
New York Post
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 9% hedged 2 of 23 📰 publisher trust 66
“The articles discuss related issues concerning the Strait of Hormuz but describe different aspects: one focuses on overall export levels and threats, while the other reports an Iranian official's statement about blocking illegal routes.”
Iran says Hormuz to remain closed until US meets conditions different event · 20%
Al Jazeera
⚖️ Leans left further left than this 🔴 7% hedged 1 of 14 📰 publisher trust 60
“The articles discuss different aspects of Iran's actions regarding the Strait of Hormuz, with distinct timeframes and officials quoted.”
Iran wants a Hormuz toll? Fine. But Trump can’t let it operate in the shadows different event · 20%
Washington Examiner
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 12% hedged 5 of 42 📰 publisher trust 72
“Article A discusses broader issues related to tolls and maritime passage through the Strait of Hormuz, while Article B specifically mentions an Iranian official's statement about blocking illegal routes. These appear to be different aspects or points in time regarding similar concerns.”

Publisher

The Straits Times · 2162 article(s) · 3 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 3 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

The Straits Times
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🔮 Transit routes in the Strait of Hormuz deemed illegal by Iran will soon be closed, an adviser to the Revolutionary Guards’ Commander told the semi-official Fars News Agency on Oct 7, referring to the southern pathway hugging Oman’s coast.
2026-10-07 · assertive framing · Iranian official says ‘illegal routes’ in Strait of Hormuz to soon be blocked
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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 1473 articles by The Straits Times →

Topics

DUBAI IRGC Iran Iranian the Revolutionary Guards’ Commander

Subjects

IRGC ORG · 2× Iran GPE · 2× Iranian NORP · 2× DUBAI GPE · 1× Fars News Agency ORG · 1× Kpler ORG · 1× Mohammadreza Naqdi PERSON · 1× Oman GPE · 1× the Islamic Republic of Iran GPE · 1× the Revolutionary Guards’ Commander ORG · 1×

Narrative

Mohammadreza Naqdi said these “few routes” had been created by blasting and damaging some of the rocky passages in the strategic waterway and were used by “small boats smuggling oil and transferring it to tankers”, challenging the narrative that Gulf oil exports are regaining pre-war levels. “The Strait of Hormuz is closed, and the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran have full control over it.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-07
🔮 Transit routes in the Strait of Hormuz deemed illegal by Iran will soon be closed, an adviser to the Revolutionary Guards’ Commander told the semi-official Fars News Agency on Oct 7, referring to the southern pathway hugging Oman’s coast.
2026-10-07 · The Straits Times
Iranian official says ‘illegal routes’ in Strait of Hormuz to soon be blocked · assertive framing

Claims (8 extracted, 0 hedged)

Iranian official says ‘illegal routes’ in Strait of Hormuz to soon be blocked asserted
routes → say → Hormuz
Transit routes in the Strait of Hormuz deemed illegal by Iran will soon be closed, an adviser to the Revolutionary Guards’ Commander told the semi-official Fars News Agency on Oct 7, referring to the southern pathway hugging Oman’s coast. asserted
adviser → deem → coast
Mohammadreza Naqdi said these “few routes” had been created by blasting and damaging some of the rocky passages in the strategic waterway and were used by “small boats smuggling oil and transferring it to tankers”, challenging the narrative that Gulf oil exports are regaining pre-war levels. “The Strait of Hormuz is closed, and the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran have full control over it. asserted
forces → say → it
This situation will continue until Iran’s legitimate demands are met,” he added. asserted
he → continue → ?
A seven-day moving average for crude exports from the region was 18.3 million barrels per day on Sept 30, provisional data from Kpler showed, with volumes topping pre-war levels on 14 days in September. asserted
volumes → move → September
That included Gulf oil sent via Hormuz, the Red Sea, and from terminals and ship-to-ship transfers in the Gulf of Oman. asserted
That → include → Oman
The IRGC has consistently denied that seaborne crude flows in the strait are rebounding thanks to US Navy help, with another IRGC adviser, Majid Mirahmadi saying on Oct 1 that a daily average of 10 ships transit the waterway against an average of 125 before the war which started on Feb 28, when the US and Israel killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a Tehran airstrike. asserted
US → deny → airstrike
Despite growing oil flows in September, Iranian attacks on tankers and logistical constraints have persisted and call into question whether higher flows can be sustained durably. asserted
flows → grow → question
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