Iranian body managing Hormuz warns ships: passage through “unauthorised” routes will face “serious restrictions”

The Iranian body set up to manage the Strait of Hormuz has warned that ships sailing through unauthorised routes in the strait will face “serious restrictions”, as Al Jazeera reports.

The Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) said on the X platform that it had received reports that some charterers are forcing ships to pass through “invalid routes”. “This action, besides creating the risk of financial and human losses for the ship, the owner, the captain and the crew, also seriously limits the ship’s future passage through the Strait of Hormuz,” the PGSA said.

The warning comes at a moment when maritime traffic through the strait — the world’s most important oil route — has shrunk significantly due to Iranian threats and attacks on ships, while the U.S. maintains its economic blockade of Iranian ports.

Tehran has effectively closed the strait since the U.S. and Israeli strikes at the end of February, and the number of transiting ships has fallen sharply. In parallel, Iran is awaiting Washington’s final position on its seven-day proposal for reopening the strait, conveyed through mediators.