Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a warning on Wednesday to shipowners against using any new transit route through the Strait of Hormuz that has not been coordinated with Tehran. The IRGC characterized the use of undesignated shipping routes as "unacceptable and dangerous" and cautioned that it could take action against vessels that do not comply with its directions, according to Iranian media reports.
The advisory arrives after the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding last week intended to reopen the strategic energy passage. Despite that agreement, friction between the two sides persists over how openings should be managed.
Ship-tracking company MarineTraffic reported a marked increase in transits through the strait last weekend, saying movements tripled to 93 compared with the prior comparable period. Those figures remain under historic, pre-war traffic, when more than 100 ships passed through the strait on an average day.
On Tuesday, MarineTraffic confirmed 31 verified crossings by commercial and energy-laden vessels. Shipowners have continued to navigate using a mix of Iranian, Omani and International Maritime Organization route patterns through the passage.
Even with last week’s memorandum in place, the United States and Iran appear to hold different positions on reopening the strait. Tehran has repeatedly urged that ships obtain approval from Iranian authorities before crossing Hormuz, while U.S. officials have maintained that the waterway is entirely open.
Context and implications
The IRGC statement underscores that, despite diplomatic steps to reopen the waterway, operational control and expectations for ship movement remain contested. The increase in verified transits shows shipowners are resuming crossings, and the continued use of multiple routing patterns indicates that a single, internationally accepted protocol for passage has not been universally adopted.
What is known
- The IRGC warned against using undesignated transit routes and said it could act against non-compliant vessels.
- A U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding to reopen the strait was signed last week.
- MarineTraffic reported 93 transits last weekend and confirmed 31 verified crossings on Tuesday; pre-war daily traffic exceeded 100 ships.