Iran Rejects International Plan for Strait of Hormuz Passage

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard has intensified its stance regarding maritime navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, declaring that safe transit through this strategic waterway must occur exclusively along routes specified by Tehran. This position directly challenges an international plan led by the United Nations' International Maritime Organization (IMO).

On Thursday, the Revolutionary Guard stated that any newly announced or operated maritime routes without coordination with Iran are "unacceptable" and pose a threat to public safety. It affirmed that it will take measures against ships that do not comply with Iranian navigation instructions within the strait.

This Iranian declaration followed hours after the IMO announced that commercial vessels had begun transiting the Strait of Hormuz under a new plan aimed at freeing hundreds of ships that have been stranded in the Gulf for weeks.

According to a spokesman for the IMO, quoted by Reuters, transit operations have officially commenced under the new plan, though details about the participating ships or their nationalities were not disclosed.

Navigation tracking data from the London Exchanges Group showed that two bulk cargo carriers and one freight ship passed through the strait in recent hours as part of the new mechanism, with dozens of other vessels preparing to join the transit operations.

The data indicates that at least 35 additional commercial ships—including cargo tankers, container ships, and freighters—are preparing to cross the strait in the coming period. This serves as a practical test of the United Nations' plan, which took several months to develop.

The IMO previously announced that the plan aims to enable hundreds of stranded vessels, carrying approximately 11,000 sailors, to resume their voyages through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime route for global energy and trade transport.

The recent Iranian position raises concerns about escalating tensions in the strait, through which about one-fifth of the world's oil trade passes, especially amid ongoing disputes between Tehran and Western countries over freedom of navigation and maritime security in the Gulf.