The CEO of the UAE's state-owned oil company stated that Iran requires all vessels to obtain permission for passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber said, "The Strait of Hormuz is not open." Al Jaber warned that the longer the strait remains unable to fully reopen, the deeper the impact on the oil market will be.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) CEO said on Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz has not resumed normal traffic following a two-week ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran. "The facts need to be clear at this moment," Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber stated in a social media post. "So let's be direct: the Strait of Hormuz is not open. Passage is restricted, conditional, and tightly controlled." Al Jaber pointed out that Iran has explicitly demanded that ships must obtain its permission to pass through the strait. "This is not freedom of navigation; this is enforced control."

ADNOC is the state-owned oil company of the UAE. The UAE is the third-largest oil producer in OPEC, with a pre-war daily production of 3.4 million barrels before the conflict began on February 28th. US President Trump stated on Tuesday that the ceasefire agreement was contingent on Iran agreeing to fully, immediately, and safely open the Strait of Hormuz. However, freight analysts confirmed to CNBC that shipping has not resumed in the strait since the ceasefire took effect. Vessel traffic remains at the extremely low levels seen during the conflict.

On Wednesday, the Iranian military command stated via state media that it would "control and intelligently govern the Strait of Hormuz." During the conflict, oil tanker traffic through the strait plummeted due to Iranian attacks on vessels, causing the most severe oil supply disruption in history. The strait connects Persian Gulf oil producers with global markets and carried approximately 20% of the world's oil supply before the war. Al Jaber said the final shipments of oil that passed through the strait before the war are now arriving at their destinations. Oil futures markets, which plunged after the ceasefire announcement, will soon face the reality of supply disruption. "Every additional day the strait is restricted, the consequences compound and intensify," he said. "Supply delays, market tightening, price increases. The impact extends beyond energy markets to the global economy, industries, and households. Every day counts, every delay deepens the disorder." Al Jaber revealed that approximately 230 oil tankers, fully laden, are waiting to depart the Persian Gulf. He emphasized that the strait is a natural passageway protected by international law. "Guaranteeing transit passage is a legal right, not a privilege that can be granted, withheld, or weaponized." "The key to stability lies in restoring genuine flow," he stated. "Not partial passage, not temporary measures, not controlled transit, but full and reliable supply."