Iran’s top diplomat warned on Sunday that any attempt by ships to bypass its preferred route through the Strait of Hormuz would 'increase tensions' in the Middle East, as US and Iranian forces exchanged attacks across the vital seaway. The exchanges underscored the fragility of a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire aimed at ending the war launched by the United States and Israel in February, which disrupted shipping through the strait and rattled global energy markets.
Although a ceasefire took effect in April, sporadic violence has continued in the Gulf region, with ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz often the spark. Early on Sunday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it had attacked 10 Iranian military targets over 'continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping.' Iran then said it had carried out retaliatory strikes against US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain in response. Both Kuwait and Bahrain denounced the attacks.
Tehran has continued to insist on controlling passage through the vital strait, through which a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas travel in normal times. Iran did not have such control before the war. At the moment, Iran insists ships transiting the strait pass through a corridor close to its own shores, though this week dozens of vessels have traveled along the opposite side of the waterway, hugging the Omani coast.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated, 'Any attempt to adopt new or separate arrangements compared to what is underway by the Islamic Republic of Iran, will only lead to more complicated situations and delays in the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and will increase the tensions.'
The Strait of Hormuz comprises Omani and Iranian territorial waters, but under customary international law, the two cannot generally block passage or charge tolls. Oman recently announced an alternative route through the strait that hugs the Omani shoreline, which Muscat said was in conjunction with the International Maritime Organization. This move angered Tehran, which views the alternative route as a challenge to its control.
A 'new normal' of heightened risk and uncertain regulation is impacting the Strait of Hormuz, shipping firm Hapag-Lloyd warned Sunday, as military strikes escalated and conflicting routing directives plunged the waterway into operational chaos. The remarks from the German shipping giant also came as Tehran began moving millions of barrels of crude oil from Kharg Island for the first time in days, according to maritime intelligence firm Windward AI.
Hapag-Lloyd AG spokesperson Hanja Maria Richter told Fox News Digital, 'We have to acknowledge that this is for some months the new normal in the Persian Gulf region.' She added that constant vigilance has become essential to operating in the region, with regular risk and situation assessments being conducted.
The renewed skirmishes come as Iran seeks to shut down the alternate route through the strait, which is protected by the US and bypasses a Tehran-backed channel meant to normalize its control over the vital energy chokepoint. The US Navy has been making a point of showing that the alternate route is still safe, as Gulf traffic data revealed a convoy of tankers heading through the strait under escort with their transponders turned on.
Other ships have likely switched off their transponders to quietly slip through the waterway undetected. The mere threat of Iranian attacks could scare away enough ships to effectively shut down the strait, which is Iran's top source of leverage.