Iranian Supreme Leader’s political adviser Mohammad-Bagher Zolghadr has said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are removed from power.
In remarks reported on September 17, Zolghadr called the continued closure the “first stage” of Iran’s retaliation and said Iran intended to avenge those killed during the ongoing war.
His statement comes as commercial shipping through the strategically vital waterway remains drastically below normal levels. Reuters reported that only three commercial vessels crossed Hormuz on September 16, compared with a 10-day average of 17, although tracking data may not capture ships travelling with their identification systems switched off.
The US maintains that the waterway remains open and says its forces have facilitated commercial shipping, while Iran has portrayed control over Hormuz as a key part of its wartime response.
The development comes amid continued military tensions, with Iranian commanders stressing military preparedness, and a Congressional Budget Office estimate that US combat operations against Iran had cost the Defence Department about $38 billion by August 1, with another $2 billion-$3 billion potentially required each month if fighting continues.
Iran Links Hormuz To Leadership
Zolghadr’s latest remarks mark a significant escalation in Tehran’s public conditions for reopening the waterway. According to reports from Iranian and regional media, he said Iranian fighters would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz while Trump and Netanyahu remained in power, describing the closure as the first stage of Iran’s response to the conflict.
He made the remarks while marking what Iranian outlets described as 200 days of resistance, saying Iran intended to avenge people killed during the war.
The statement is particularly significant because Hormuz is not simply a regional shipping route. The narrow waterway between Iran and Oman connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the wider Arabian Sea, making it one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints.
Under normal circumstances, millions of barrels of crude oil and petroleum products pass through it every day. A prolonged disruption therefore affects not only countries directly involved in the conflict but also energy prices, shipping costs and supply chains worldwide.
The latest figures demonstrate the scale of the disruption. Reuters reported that only three commercial vessels crossed Hormuz on September 16, sharply below the 10-day average of 17.
Earlier in the week, traffic had also fallen to just four commodity vessels on one day. Reuters noted that some vessels may have switched off their Automatic Identification System transponders, meaning publicly available tracking data may not capture every crossing.
Earlier Demands, Wider Conflict
Zolghadr’s latest statement follows earlier conditions issued by Tehran. In August, while serving as secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, he said Hormuz would not reopen until Washington changed its approach towards Iran.
Those demands included an end to military action and threats against Iran and its regional allies, the lifting of the US naval blockade, withdrawal of American forces from the region, compensation for war damage, removal of sanctions and the release of frozen Iranian assets.
His September statement places the political fate of Trump and Netanyahu at the centre of the reopening question. Meanwhile, Iranian military officials have continued to stress preparedness. Reports from Iranian outlets have quoted Brigadier General Hassan Hassanzadeh, commander of the IRGC’s Greater Tehran forces, as saying Iranian forces are preparing for possible further confrontation and developing their military capabilities, including missiles, drones and air-defence systems.
The US position remains different. US officials have said the Strait remains open for transit and that American forces are helping protect commercial shipping. At the same time, the volume of traffic remains far below normal, illustrating the gap between formal access to the waterway and the practical risks faced by commercial operators.
The disruption has already affected the wider energy-shipping market: Reuters reported that shipowners have ordered more than 217 very large crude carriers in 2026, worth more than $20 billion, as companies adapt to longer shipping routes caused by the conflict.
The economic cost of the wider conflict is also mounting. The US Congressional Budget Office estimated that combat operations against Iran had cost the Defence Department approximately $38 billion by August 1, including spending linked to munitions, equipment losses, additional flying hours, operations and fuel. CBO said continued fighting could cost another $2 billion-$3 billion per month, depending on the intensity of operations.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
The Strait of Hormuz is a reminder that the consequences of war rarely remain confined to battlefields. A political and military confrontation involving Iran, the US and Israel is now affecting sailors, energy markets, businesses and ordinary consumers far beyond the region. Statements linking the reopening of a vital international waterway to the removal of political leaders further underline how deeply diplomacy has been replaced by confrontation.
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