Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has warned shipowners that any new transit route through the Strait of Hormuz established without Tehran’s coordination is “unacceptable and dangerous.”
The IRGC threatened enforcement action against vessels that ignore its instructions, underlining Iran’s determination to retain operational control over the critical waterway.
The warning arrives despite a memorandum of understanding signed last week between the United States and Iran to reopen the strategically vital energy artery.
The IRGC Navy stated that only shipping routes designated by Iran are permitted for passage, and that coordination via a designated communication channel is mandatory.
“Navigation outside these routes is highly dangerous and prohibited, and we warn all vessels to strictly avoid any movement outside the designated corridors,” the IRGC Navy said.
The warning followed a proposal by a key naval information group on Saturday suggesting alternative shipping corridors, asking shipowners to consider transiting along the southern route with transponder signals activated.
“The southern transit route, along Omani territorial waters, has been confirmed clear of mines and is the recommended route,” that notice had stated.
Ship-tracking data provider MarineTraffic reported that transits tripled to 93 last weekend compared with the prior comparable period, though traffic remains far below pre-war levels of more than 100 ships per day.
MarineTraffic confirmed 31 verified crossings on Tuesday by commercial and energy-laden vessels, with shipowners using a mix of Iranian, Omani, and International Maritime Organization route patterns through the chokepoint.
“Operators are still moving cautiously rather than returning to fully normal traffic patterns,” MarineTraffic said.
The U.S. Treasury sanctioned Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority in May, describing it as an attempt to “extort global maritime trade,” with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warning Washington would not tolerate any tolling system on Hormuz.
Helima Croft, head of global commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets, warned that pre-war tanker traffic through Hormuz may represent the high point for transits for the foreseeable future.
“Any end to the conflict that leaves Iran exercising operational control and influence over the Strait will result in appreciably lower flows through the waterway in our view,” Croft told clients in a note.