Iran creates authority to control Strait of Hormuz

Iran has introduced a new mechanism, the ‘Persian Gulf Strait Authority’, to regulate maritime transit through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian state media.

The Wall Street Journal reports that under the system, vessels intending to pass through the strait will receive guidance from an official email address outlining the rules for transit.

Ships are required to comply with the framework and obtain prior authorisation before crossing the waterway.

The move, it was learnt, is part of Iran’s broader effort to assert control over traffic through the strait, one of the world’s most critical oil shipping chokepoints, amid ongoing regional tensions and United States-led efforts to keep the waterway open.

Earlier, oil prices surged above $114 before dropping to $109 per barrel on Tuesday. This followed the escalation of the rift between the United States and Iran.

The latest surge in prices came after the US military said it had destroyed six Iranian small boats in response to alleged Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the waterway, while the United Arab Emirates reported coming under attack from Iranian missiles and drones on Monday.

An Iranian military source cited by the official IRNA news agency denied that US forces had sunk several Iranian boats, branding the US claim “false”.

According to Al Jazeera, despite US President Donald Trump’s announcement on Monday that the United States military would “guide” commercial vessels through the critical strait, shipping companies have been hesitant to transit the waterway amid persistent safety concerns.

While the US military reported that two US-flagged merchant ships crossed the strait in the hours after Trump announced “Project Freedom”, there have yet to be any signs of a substantial resumption of maritime traffic in the region.

On Monday, the head of the International Transport Workers’ Federation said ships should not be asked to cross the strait “without a full guarantee of safety”.

“Freedom of navigation must be restored in full accordance with international law, but it must be done in a way that is coordinated, transparent and puts seafarers’ safety first,” ITF General Secretary Stephen Cotton told Al Jazeera, adding that there was “little clarity” about how the operation would “provide safe evacuation, nor assurance from Iran that transit will be guaranteed”.

“Until we have those assurances, we are calling on shipowners and flag states not to treat this announcement as a green light.

“These workers have already endured weeks of fear, uncertainty and hardship. They must not now be put in harm’s way,” Cotton said.

According to the International Maritime Organisation, up to 20,000 seafarers remain stranded on about 2,000 vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The IMO has said there is “no precedent for the stranding of so many seafarers in the modern age”.

The United Nations, meanwhile, has called for freedom of navigation in the strait, saying the closure of the waterway is “impeding the delivery of oil, gas, fertiliser, and other critical commodities” and “strangling the global economy”.

Brent prices have risen more than 50 per cent since the start of the conflict in late February, amid an estimated daily production shortfall of 14.5 million barrels.