Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a stark warning to global shipowners, declaring any new Hormuz transit route established without Tehran’s coordination “unacceptable and dangerous.”
The warning signals Iran’s firm intention to retain operational control over the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints.
The IRGC Navy stated that only shipping routes officially designated by Iran are permitted, and that coordination via a specified communication channel is mandatory for all vessels.
“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 threat arrives just days after the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding to reopen the strategically vital waterway following a period of intense conflict and disruption.
A key naval information group had previously proposed alternative shipping corridors on Saturday, urging shipowners to consider the southern route with transponder signals active.
“The southern transit route, along Omani territorial waters, has been confirmed clear of mines and is the recommended route,” that notice stated, prompting Iran’s swift pushback.
Ship-tracking data provider MarineTraffic reported that transits tripled to 93 last weekend compared with the prior comparable period, yet traffic remains far below pre-war levels when more than 100 ships transited daily.
MarineTraffic confirmed 31 verified crossings on Tuesday by commercial and energy-laden vessels, with operators using a mix of Iranian, Omani, and International Maritime Organization route patterns. “Operators are still moving cautiously rather than returning to fully normal traffic patterns,” the firm said.
The U.S. Treasury sanctioned Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority in May, describing the body as an attempt to “extort global maritime trade” and threatening aggressive action against any actors supporting a tolling system.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent previously warned that Washington would not tolerate any Iranian tolling system on the Strait, vowing his agency would aggressively target all involved parties.
Helima Croft, head of global commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets, cautioned that Iranian strategic control could permanently suppress oil flows through the waterway below pre-war levels.
“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 Thursday note.
Analysts broadly agree that the combination of geopolitical uncertainty and Iranian enforcement posture creates a durable obstacle to any full restoration of normal shipping volumes through Hormuz.
