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

DUBAI: 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 Wednesday, referring to the southern pathway hugging Oman’s 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 ⁠