Iran is tightening its grip on the Strait of Hormuz by asserting unprecedented control over one of the world’s most strategically important shipping lanes through a new transit regime, the ABC reports.
Just days after launching the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), Iran published a map on X declaring a vast “controlled maritime zone” across the waterway and warning ships that they would need Iranian authorisation to pass through it.
The zone stretches from Kuh-e Mubarak in Iran to south of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, at the eastern entrance of the strait, and from the tip of Qeshm Island to Umm al-Quwain at the western entrance.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says it is already coordinating and protecting vessel movements through the passage, saying 26 ships transited under its oversight on Thursday alone.
The announcements follow reports Iran is developing a broader system to manage traffic through the strait using security clearances, transit fees and potentially even Bitcoin-backed insurance.
Since the early days of the war with the United States and Israel, Iran has only allowed a trickle of vessels through the waterway.
About a fifth of the world’s oil supply normally passes through the Strait of Hormuz, making any disruption or attempt to impose new controls a major concern for global energy markets and shipping companies.
The full report is here.
