Evidence

This claim appears to relate to statements made amid the Iran–US/Israel Gulf conflict (2026) over the Strait of Hormuz. Multiple independent outlets — Marine Insight, Cyprus Mail, and Türkiye Today — reported that Mohammadreza Naqdi, a senior adviser to IRGC Commander-in-Chief Ahmad Vahidi, told Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency that Iran would soon block 'illegal routes' or 'unauthorized passages' through the Strait of Hormuz, specifically referencing a southern pathway hugging Oman's coast that had reportedly been used by vessels (including ship-to-ship oil transfers) to bypass Iranian control and the broader blockade standoff in the strait. CNN and the Washington Post separately covered the broader, fluctuating status of Hormuz closures/reopenings tied to the US blockade and Iran-US/Israel conflict, confirming the context of alternating closures. However, I could not locate a dedicated fact-check from Reuters Fact Check, AFP Fact Check, Bellingcat, or EUvsDisinfo specifically verifying or debunking this particular 'close the evasion route' statement.