Iran's national security council secretary says a continued naval blockade will tighten the lock on the Strait of Hormuz

Mohammad-Bagher Zolqadr, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said in a message early on Saturday 1 August 2026 (10 Mordad 1405) that the continued naval blockade and what he called US "fire-starting" would "both tighten the lock on the Strait of Hormuz and close other straits and chokepoints".

He added that the price for this would be paid by "the global economy, the energy market and American voters". The remarks came as tensions over the safety of maritime traffic in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz continued, and after oil prices rose in the closing days of July 2026 under the influence of those same tensions.

The Strait of Hormuz is the main export route for Persian Gulf crude. Any sign of tighter transit through it feeds directly into the global energy market and, through expectations, into Iran's domestic currency and gold markets.