Iran's Revolutionary Guard Calls U.S. Hormuz Claims 'Lies'

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said Friday that U.S. government claims about the Strait of Hormuz being open to shipping are “lies” intended to suppress oil prices and mask what it called American failures in the ongoing conflict with Tehran, according to a statement reported by Middle East Monitor.

The statement directly challenged American assurances that commercial traffic through the waterway continues normally. The IRGC characterized the U.S. position as deliberate disinformation designed to move energy markets in Washington’s favor.

Six Months In, Prices Remain Elevated

The Guard’s statement arrives at a moment of sustained economic pressure on the Trump administration. Six months after U.S. operations against Iran began, gas prices in the United States have not returned to pre-war levels, according to Times of Israel. The persistent price gap has become a political liability for the White House.

In response, the administration announced this week a deal with Venezuela to secure alternative oil supplies. The agreement would allow the United States to purchase oil at cost from a company established specifically to develop Venezuela’s vast reserves. Venezuela opened those reserves to foreign investors after Washington captured former President Nicolás Maduro. The deal involves access to an estimated 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil, according to AP News — a volume large enough, in principle, to reshape the global supply picture if brought to market at scale.

The Venezuela deal illustrates the administration’s belief that the oil price problem requires supply-side solutions — an implicit acknowledgment that the current conflict has constrained normal market access through the Persian Gulf.

Why Hormuz Is Central

The Strait of Hormuz sits at the mouth of the Persian Gulf between Iran and Oman, and serves as the primary maritime exit point for oil exports from the region’s major producers. Any sustained disruption to navigation through the passage affects global energy prices directly.

The IRGC Navy controls Iranian forces in the Persian Gulf and is the primary Iranian actor with the capacity to affect commercial shipping through the waterway. By publicly declaring that U.S. claims about the strait’s status are false, the Guard is contesting the information environment around one of the world’s most consequential shipping lanes.

The Guard’s statement did not specify which U.S. claims it was challenging or offer evidence regarding the strait’s actual navigability, according to the Middle East Monitor report.

The Information Dimension

U.S. government statements asserting that the Strait of Hormuz remains open serve a dual purpose: reassuring allied shipping interests and applying downward pressure on oil prices. If markets believe the strait is unimpeded, the risk premium built into energy prices should, in theory, decline.

Iran’s government has reason to dispute that framing. Elevated oil prices serve Iranian interests by generating revenue from whatever exports Tehran can move and by imposing ongoing economic costs on the United States and its allies. A narrative of Hormuz as contested — regardless of the actual operational picture — sustains the price pressure Iran’s government has sought to maintain since the conflict began.

The IRGC’s framing of U.S. claims as disinformation also serves a secondary purpose: denying Washington a credible signal to markets. If the Guard can plant doubt about American statements on strait access, the calming effect those statements are designed to produce is diminished.

Broader Picture

The IRGC statement is the latest episode in a six-month information contest running parallel to military operations. While Israeli forces have continued operations elsewhere in the region — including strikes in the West Bank — Iran’s government has consistently worked to frame the conflict’s terms in ways that complicate Washington’s domestic political position.

Gas prices remain the most visible indicator of the conflict’s cost to American consumers, and the Hormuz narrative feeds directly into that metric. The administration’s pivot to a Venezuela supply deal this week reflects how durable that pressure has proven. Whether the strait is operationally closed, partially contested, or open — and to what degree — remains a matter of conflicting official claims six months into the conflict.