Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced today that it intercepted multiple ships trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz without Iranian clearance, marking another escalation between Tehran and Washington over control of the strategic waterway.
According to an IRGC statement, four vessels acting maliciously and backed by US forces attempted to navigate the strait while ignoring warnings. Two of the ships were immobilized following an unspecified incident, while the remaining two turned back and abandoned their route.
The IRGC blamed the freighter crews for turning off their navigation systems in coordination with US military forces to bypass Iranian checkpoints and ignore maritime warnings.
Tehran warned that no petroleum, gas, or chemical fertilizers will pass through the Strait of Hormuz without prior authorization, cautioning that ships following US guidance into unauthorized routes will face security incidents.
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Tensions in the key maritime choke point have surged following recent military strikes, including US attacks on southern Iranian territory and retaliatory operations by Tehran against American targets across the Middle East.
The confrontation over navigation rights intensified earlier this month after Oman established an alternative shipping route supported by the United States, which prompted Iranian attacks against commercial vessels using that passage. Washington subsequently reinstated a naval blockade on Iranian ports and ships in the strait after Tehran announced a renewed closure of the waterway, through which 20% of global oil traditionally flows.
