IRGC 'permits' 35 vessels to traverse strait in past day

Iran moves to broaden its control over Hormuz, infuriating its Gulf neighbors and the US

Tehran publishes map asserting its control over area that extends into coastal waters of Oman and UAE; Rubio denounces move, five Gulf states protest it, Oman reportedly discussing it with Iran

Iran has asserted expanded control over the Strait of Hormuz, publishing a map showing its claims extending into the coastal waters of the United Arab Emirates and Oman, and holding talks with Oman about sharing fees from ships traversing the waterway.

The move was denounced on Friday as unacceptable by US Secretary of State Mario Rubio, who urged all countries to oppose it, and prompted a letter of protest from five Gulf states. US President Donald Trump on Thursday stressed, “We want [the Strait of Hormuz] open, we want it free. We don’t want tolls. It’s an international waterway.”

Iran’s newly created Persian Gulf Strait Authority announced the new arrangements on Wednesday, declaring there would henceforth be a “controlled maritime zone” at the strait.

The authority set the zone as the “line connecting Kuh-e Mobarak in Iran and southern Fujairah in the UAE at the eastern side of the strait, to the line connecting the end of Qeshm Island in Iran and Umm Al Quwain in the UAE at the western side of the strait,” and published a map of the designated area in both English and Persian.

“Transit in this zone for passage through the Strait of Hormuz requires coordination with the Persian Gulf Strait Authority and permission from this entity,” it declared.

On Friday, The New York Times reported that Iran has been holding talks with Oman on charging fees from ships that traverse the strait, with the US-allied Gulf state potentially sharing in the profits, despite Washington’s insistence that freedom of navigation be restored to the blockaded waterway.

Two people familiar with the talks cited by the Times said that the discussions are ostensibly about fees, which are charged for services rendered to transiting vessels, rather than about tolls, which are charged for the transit itself and are illegal under international law.

“Still, if the fee system is just a toll by another name, it will not be considered legal,” the report quoted experts saying.

Oman, a US ally, originally dismissed the idea of partnering with Iran in the strait, but has more recently realized the scheme could benefit Muscat and expressed willingness to push the plan with Gulf neighbors and with the US, the Times said, citing two Iranian officials.

The Guardian reported Friday that Iran’s ambassador to France confirmed that Iran was seeking Oman’s cooperation with the plan, but it said Oman was wary of the idea.

It further reported that five other Gulf states — Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — have written to the global shipping watchdog, the International Maritime Authority, denouncing the move and urging that it be prevented.

“Iran’s purported route should be seen for what it is, an attempt to control traffic through the strait by forcing vessels to use a route within its territorial waters, which can be exploited for monetary gain through the imposition of toll fees,” the joint letter stated. “Any understanding or recognition of Iran’s proposed route and PGSA as an alternative would set a dangerous precedent.”

US Secretary of State Rubio warned that Iran was “trying to create a tolling system. They’re trying to convince Oman, by the way, to join them in this tolling system in an international waterway.”

Speaking in Sweden on Friday, Rubio added, “I don’t know of a country in the world that’s in favor of it except Iran, but there’s no country in the world that should accept it.”

United Arab Emirates’ presidential advisor Anwar Gargash declared that “the regime is trying to establish a new reality born from a clear military defeat.” But, he went on: “Attempts to control the Strait of Hormuz or infringe on the UAE’s maritime sovereignty are nothing but pipe dreams.”

Underlining its proprietary claims, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Friday that its navy had given “permission” for 35 vessels, including oil tankers, container ships and other commercial vessels, to transit the Strait of Hormuz over the previous 24 hours.

Tehran has largely blocked shipping through the strait, a vital global energy conduit, since the outbreak of war with the United States and Israel on February 28. The United States imposed its own naval blockade in the strait on April 13, despite a ceasefire.

Since the ceasefire took effect on April 8, diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran have been underway in an attempt to reach a broader lasting agreement. However, negotiations have been repeatedly hindered by disputes over control and access to the Strait of Hormuz, as well as longstanding disagreements surrounding Iran’s nuclear program.

Pakistan mediates push for ceasefire

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met Pakistani Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Naqvi on Friday to again discuss proposals to end the US-Israeli war, the semi-official Tasnim and ISNA news agencies reported.

Naqvi was facilitating communication to try to achieve a framework for ending the war and resolving differences, ISNA reported.

Rubio told reporters on Thursday there had been “some good signs” in the talks, but there could be no solution if Tehran enforced a tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz.

The war has wreaked havoc on the global economy, with the surge in oil prices stoking fears of rampant inflation. About a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas shipments travelled through the Strait of Hormuz before the war.

The US dollar was near its highest level in six weeks on Friday amid the uncertainty over the peace talks, while oil prices climbed as investors doubted the prospects of a breakthrough.

‘We will get it’

US President Donald Trump said Thursday the US would eventually recover Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Tehran has enriched uranium to a level that is a short technical step from weapons-grade and that the UN atomic agency says has no civilian use. Iran, which openly seeks Israel’s destruction, claims its nuclear program is peaceful.

“We will get it. We don’t need it, we don’t want it. We’ll probably destroy it after we get it, but we’re not going to let them have it,” Trump told reporters at the White House, referring to the stockpile.

Two senior Iranian sources told Reuters before Trump’s comments that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei had issued a directive that the uranium should not be sent abroad.

Trump faces domestic pressure ahead of November midterm elections, with Americans angry over the surge in fuel prices and his approval rating near its lowest level since he returned to the White House last year.

Tehran submitted its latest offer to the US earlier this week.

Tehran’s descriptions suggest it largely repeats terms Trump previously rejected, including demands for control of the Strait of Hormuz, compensation for war damage, lifting of sanctions, release of frozen assets and the withdrawal of US troops.