By Karim Were
Senior Iranian adviser links reopening of strategic waterway to removal of US and Israeli leaders as tensions continue to disrupt global energy shipping
TEHRAN, Iran — September 18, 2026 — Iran has said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are removed from power, escalating Tehran’s demands as the prolonged conflict continues to disrupt shipping and raise concerns over global energy supplies.
Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, a political adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, made the statement on Thursday, September 17, according to Iranian state media and reports citing his remarks.
Zolghadr said Iranian forces would not reopen the strategic waterway while Trump and Netanyahu remained in office, describing the position as part of Iran’s response to the conflict.
“Our fighters will not open the Strait of Hormuz until they bring the criminal Trump and the bloodthirsty Netanyahu down from the seat of power,” Zolghadr was quoted as saying by Iran’s state broadcaster IRNA.
The statement represents a significant escalation in Tehran’s public position over the future of the waterway, which is one of the world’s most important routes for oil and gas transportation.
However, the remarks should be understood as a statement by a senior political adviser rather than, on their own, proof of a newly issued formal government policy or a legal declaration governing international navigation.
Iran links Hormuz reopening to political change
Zolghadr’s comments came as the United States, Israel and Iran remain locked in a prolonged military confrontation.
According to reports of his remarks, the Iranian adviser portrayed the continued closure of Hormuz as the beginning of what he described as Iran’s retaliation against those responsible for the war.
He also praised what he described as the resilience of the Iranian population and said Tehran was preparing to confront further military pressure.
The comments were accompanied by separate statements from Iranian military officials indicating that the country was maintaining a high level of military preparedness.
Brigadier General Hassan Hassanzadeh, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Greater Tehran Province, said Iranian forces were more prepared for another confrontation than they had been before the previous rounds of fighting, according to reports carried by Iranian-linked media.
Hassanzadeh also pointed to continued development of missiles, drones and air-defence systems, suggesting that Tehran expects the military confrontation to remain unresolved.
The combination of the political and military statements has reinforced concerns that the crisis around the Strait of Hormuz could continue even as diplomatic efforts seek a way out of the conflict.
Why the Strait of Hormuz matters
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow maritime passage between Iran and Oman that connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
Its geographical position makes it a critical gateway for energy exports from several Gulf countries.
According to the US Energy Information Administration, oil flows through the strait averaged about 20.9 million barrels per day during the first half of 2025. That was equivalent to roughly one-fifth of global petroleum liquids consumption and approximately one-quarter of globally traded oil transported by sea.
The waterway also carries substantial quantities of liquefied natural gas, including exports from Qatar.
This means that any prolonged disruption can affect not only countries immediately involved in the Middle East conflict but also major energy-consuming economies in Asia and elsewhere.
China, India, Japan and South Korea are among the major destinations for oil transported through Hormuz. The EIA estimates that Asian markets accounted for the overwhelming majority of crude oil and condensate moving through the strait in 2024.
For countries dependent on imported energy, prolonged restrictions can therefore translate into higher fuel costs, increased transportation expenses and additional inflationary pressure.
Shipping traffic remains severely reduced
The latest shipping data indicate that commercial traffic through Hormuz remains far below normal levels.
Preliminary Kpler data reported by Reuters showed that only four commodity vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, September 17. That compared with six the previous day and a 10-day average of 16 vessels.
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Some liquefied natural gas carriers have also reappeared outside the strait, while concerns remain over the security of ships attempting to navigate the area.
The reduction in traffic reflects the broader security risks created by the conflict, including the possibility of attacks, restrictions and military confrontation.
The uncertainty has made shipping companies and insurers increasingly cautious.
Even if commercial navigation becomes technically possible, vessels may face higher insurance premiums and additional security requirements before operators are willing to resume normal schedules.
Earlier analysis by Al Jazeera noted that insurance costs for ships using the route could rise dramatically because of the security environment.
Iran and Oman have discussed reopening the waterway
Iran’s latest statement comes after diplomatic contacts involving Oman and other Gulf countries aimed at addressing the disruption.
On September 12, Reuters reported that an Iranian source told the semi-official Tasnim news agency that an understanding between Iran and Oman did not provide for the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Instead, the arrangement was described as creating conditions for a possible reopening in the future, with Tehran maintaining that the United States would first have to meet Iranian conditions.
The development highlighted the difficulty of separating the maritime dispute from the wider political and military conflict.
Gulf states have also attempted to engage Iran over the future of shipping through the strait. Those discussions, however, have faced setbacks amid broader regional tensions.
Reuters reported that talks involving Gulf countries were postponed as disagreements persisted over the conditions for reopening the waterway.
Washington’s position differs sharply from Tehran’s
The United States has rejected the idea that Iran alone determines the security and accessibility of the Strait of Hormuz.
The White House said in an August 28 statement that US forces had cleared Iranian mines from international shipping lanes and were protecting commercial vessels using the waterway.
The administration said nearly 1,500 commercial vessels had passed through under US protection and claimed that 75 vessels attempting to break the blockade had been turned around.
Washington’s position therefore contrasts directly with Tehran’s assertion that it can determine when normal shipping resumes.
President Trump has also continued to signal that he is considering his options over the conflict.
In an interview reported by Axios on September 17, Trump said he was approaching a major decision point on Iran and indicated that he was considering whether to resume large-scale military action.
The US president is also expected to meet Gulf leaders during the United Nations General Assembly in New York to discuss the conflict and possible next steps, according to reports.
Economic risks extend beyond the Middle East
The continued disruption of Hormuz has implications for the global economy because of the volume of energy normally transported through the waterway.
When a major shipping chokepoint becomes inaccessible or dangerous, oil producers may be forced to rely on alternative pipelines or routes.
Those alternatives, however, cannot fully replace Hormuz.
The EIA estimates that existing pipelines in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates could provide about 4.7 million barrels per day of combined capacity to bypass the strait. Iran also has the Goreh-Jask pipeline, but its effective capacity remains much smaller, at about 300,000 barrels per day.
This capacity gap means that a prolonged closure could remove substantial volumes of oil from international markets.
The resulting supply pressure could contribute to higher crude prices, while increased shipping risks could raise freight and insurance costs.
For consumers, the effects can eventually appear in petrol, diesel, aviation fuel and other products whose prices are influenced by energy and transportation costs.
Oil markets remain sensitive to developments in Hormuz
The importance of the waterway has made every announcement concerning its status closely watched by financial and energy markets.
The crisis has already contributed to concerns about oil supply disruptions.
Reuters reported that oil prices had moved above $100 a barrel amid the wider regional conflict and disruptions affecting major energy routes.
The situation has become more complicated because the Strait of Hormuz is not the only maritime chokepoint facing disruption.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, linking the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, has also faced security challenges involving Yemen’s Houthi movement.
The simultaneous disruption of important shipping routes could increase pressure on global energy and freight markets.
Longer alternative routes, including journeys around the Cape of Good Hope, can add significant time and cost to international shipping.
Diplomatic efforts face major obstacles
The latest Iranian demand also creates a difficult challenge for diplomacy.
Linking the reopening of an international shipping route to the removal of the US and Israeli leaders from office goes far beyond the narrower demands normally associated with maritime negotiations.
It effectively ties the future of global energy shipping to the outcome of a broader political and military confrontation.
That could make an immediate compromise more difficult.
At the same time, Washington has indicated that it wants to explore possible diplomatic avenues while retaining military options.
The competing positions leave regional governments facing a difficult balancing act.
Gulf countries have a direct economic interest in keeping the waterway open because much of their energy exports and commercial trade depend on secure maritime routes.
They must also manage their security relationships with the United States while avoiding actions that could draw them deeper into the confrontation with Iran.
International shipping faces continued uncertainty
For shipping companies, the central issue is not only whether vessels can physically pass through Hormuz but whether operators can do so at an acceptable level of risk.
The uncertainty surrounding military activity, maritime restrictions, insurance and potential attacks makes planning difficult.
Reuters reported that the United States had adjusted the periods during which air-defence protection was available to commercial tankers navigating the area, reflecting the difficulty and cost of maintaining continuous protection.
The development illustrates how the crisis has moved beyond traditional military confrontation and into the wider international commercial system.
Every additional day of reduced shipping can affect supply chains, refinery operations, fuel inventories and international trade.
What happens next?
The future of the Strait of Hormuz is likely to depend on developments on several fronts: military operations, diplomatic negotiations, US-Iran relations and the broader confrontation involving Israel.
Iran’s latest statement indicates that Tehran is prepared to use the reopening of the waterway as leverage in the wider conflict.
But the statement by Zolghadr does not establish a timetable for reopening the strait, nor does it guarantee that the waterway will remain completely closed until Trump or Netanyahu leave office.
Actual shipping conditions continue to evolve, with some vessels attempting or managing to move through the area despite the overall reduction in traffic.
The distinction is important because a reduction in traffic is not necessarily the same as a legally or physically complete closure of the international waterway.
Conclusion
Iran’s declaration that the Strait of Hormuz should remain closed until Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu are removed from power represents a sharp escalation in the political conditions Tehran has publicly attached to reopening the strategic waterway.
The statement, made by senior adviser Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, comes as diplomatic efforts struggle to resolve a conflict that has already disrupted commercial shipping and global energy markets.
Because Hormuz normally carries around one-fifth of global petroleum liquids consumption, sustained disruption could have consequences far beyond the Middle East, affecting oil prices, shipping costs, inflation and energy security in major importing economies.
For now, the most immediate uncertainty is whether diplomatic initiatives can produce an arrangement that restores reliable commercial navigation or whether the waterway will remain a major pressure point in the continuing US-Iran confrontation.
What happens in Hormuz will therefore remain closely watched not only by governments and militaries but also by energy producers, shipping companies, financial markets and consumers around the world.
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