IRGC warns ships to use Tehran-designated routes in Strait of Hormuz dispute

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has warned commercial vessels to use only routes through the Strait of Hormuz approved by Tehran, after Oman announced a new transit route through the strategic waterway. The warning has reopened a dispute over control of shipping lanes at a time when maritime traffic is only slowly resuming after weeks of disruption. It also adds fresh pressure to fragile talks between the United States and Iran over the future of the strait.

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According to the reported sequence of events, Oman said on Wednesday that it had coordinated the new route with the International Maritime Organization. The move came after a memorandum of understanding signed last week by the United States and Iran, which largely halted hostilities in the four-month US-Israel war on Iran and launched a 60-day negotiation process. The agreement included the reopening of the strait, but key questions remain unresolved over who controls vessel movements, whether transit or service fees could be imposed after the negotiating period, and how the route will be supervised in practice.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most important energy chokepoints, carrying around one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies under normal conditions. It links the Gulf to the Arabian Sea and is bordered by Iran to the north and Oman and the United Arab Emirates to the south. The passage is narrow but deep enough for the largest oil tankers, and the US Energy Information Administration has said about 20 million barrels of oil and petroleum products transited the strait each day in 2025.

That scale means even limited disruption can have immediate consequences for shipping costs, energy markets and regional security. The latest warning also reflects the wider political significance of maritime control in the Gulf. The dispute is not only about navigation but also about leverage in a broader diplomatic process that is still fragile.

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Experts cited in the reporting said disagreements over shipping routes and transit fees could complicate efforts to reach a permanent agreement, while the possibility of renewed restrictions raises the risk that the waterway could again become a point of confrontation. The background to the current standoff is months of severe disruption to shipping, after Iran effectively closed the strait and the United States imposed a corresponding naval blockade on Iranian ports. Both Washington and Tehran have since declared the strait open to commercial shipping, but the practical terms of that reopening remain contested.

The new corridor announced by Oman appears to have been intended to restore traffic more smoothly, yet Iran's warning suggests that the question of who authorises passage is still unsettled. The reporting also indicates that some vessels continued to move through the strait despite the dispute. IRGC-affiliated media claimed that three oil tankers using the southern corridor turned back after warnings from the IRGC Navy, while South Korea's Oceans Ministry said five South Korean-operated vessels successfully exited the strait on Thursday.

That mixed picture suggests traffic has not stopped entirely, but it does show that operators are responding cautiously to the competing claims over the route. Iranian officials have framed control of the waterway as a matter of national security. Behnam Saeedi, secretary of parliament's National Security Commission, said control of the strait was fully and firmly in the hands of Iran's military forces and warned that any miscalculation would be met with a decisive response.

He also said Iran expected the United States to show compliance with the framework deal in practice, including the release of frozen assets and the lifting of maritime restrictions, rather than only in statements. What remains unclear is whether the temporary corridor will continue to be used, whether Iran will seek greater control over vessel movements, and whether any fees will be imposed after the 60-day negotiation period. It is also not yet clear how many ships may alter course in response to the warning or whether Iranian forces will take further action.

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The next developments to watch are any formal response from Tehran, the practical use of the Oman-announced route, and whether the dispute affects the wider negotiations over a permanent agreement.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has warned vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz that they must use routes designated by Tehran, escalating a dispute over a temporary corridor announced by Oman. In a statement on Thursday, the IRGC said any ship navigating outside those routes was acting illegally and that navigation outside the designated lanes was highly dangerous and prohibited. The warning comes as the narrow waterway remains a critical passage for global energy shipments and a focal point of regional maritime tension.

The IRGC said the only authorised routes for passage through the strait were those announced by the Islamic Republic of Iran. It described the corridor announced hours earlier as unacceptable and completely dangerous, saying it had been decided without prior notice or coordination with Iran. The statement added that violators would be dealt with, although it did not specify what action might follow.

IRGC-affiliated media also claimed that three oil tankers using the southern corridor had turned back after receiving warnings from the IRGC Navy. Traffic through the strait was still moving despite the dispute. South Korea's Oceans Ministry said separately that five South Korean-operated vessels had successfully exited the strait on Thursday.

That suggests the warning has not stopped all shipping, even as some operators appear to be reassessing routes. The mixed picture points to a live maritime security issue rather than a full closure or immediate interruption of traffic. The confrontation matters because the Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most sensitive shipping chokepoints, and any threat to movement there can affect energy markets and regional security.

The latest exchange also comes against the backdrop of wider political pressure around maritime restrictions and negotiations involving Iran. In that context, control of shipping lanes is being used not only as a security issue but also as leverage in broader diplomatic disputes. Iranian officials have framed the waterway as being under the control of the country's military forces.

Behnam Saeedi, secretary of parliament's National Security Commission, said control of the strait was fully and firmly in the hands of Iran's military forces and warned that any miscalculation would be met with a decisive response. He also said Iran expected the United States to demonstrate compliance with a framework deal in practice, including the release of frozen assets and the lifting of maritime restrictions, rather than only in statements. The dispute has also drawn comments from Washington.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking at a Gulf Cooperation Council ministerial meeting in Bahrain on Thursday, said the United States would not accept any fees or tolls under any description. He also criticised hardliners in Iran for making public pronouncements that he said were not true. What remains unclear is whether the temporary corridor will continue to be used, how many vessels may alter course, and whether the warning will lead to further action by Iranian forces in the coming hours.

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