Iran on Monday announced the formation of a new body that it said would “manage” the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has effectively closed and wants to charge ships to traverse.
It was not immediately clear what the new body would do, but the move comes as part of an Iranian effort to manage ship transits through the waterway and collect passage fees, while the United States has imposed its own maritime blockade on Iranian ports.
Iran has largely blocked shipping through the vital strait since the outbreak of war with the US and Israel on February 28. The international community agrees that navigation in the strait should return to its pre-war status.
On Monday, Iran's Supreme National Security Council announced the launch of an official X account for the authority, saying it would provide “real-time updates on the #Hormuz_Strait operations and latest developments,” reported AFP.
The account of the Revolutionary Guards navy shared the same post.
The IRGC's navy plays a key role in enforcing Iranian restrictions on all ships transiting the strait while it is accused of attacking commercial ships and intercepting other vessels entering Iranian waters.
It was not immediately clear what the new body would do but according to Lyod List, it is responsible for granting permission to ships transiting the strait and collecting tolls.
Sources told the journal that ships hoping to use the pre-approved route are expected to have communicated extensive details regarding both the ownership of the vessel and destination of the cargo to the IRGC in advance of the transit.
Earlier this month, Iranian English-speaking broadcaster Press TV said the body constituted a “system to exercise sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz” and that ships passing through the strait were sent “regulations” through an email.
On Sunday, Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament's national security commission, said Iran “has prepared a professional mechanism to manage traffic” through the strait, adding that it will be “unveiled soon.”
Earlier, the Iranian parliament had sought to pass a law to collect tolls for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, declaring the regulation of maritime passage as a core element of national sovereignty.
Since the war began, Iran has repeatedly said that maritime traffic through the strait would “not return to its pre-war status” and last month it said it had received the first revenue from tolls on the waterway.
Tehran has linked the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to the lifting of the US naval blockade on Iranian ports, demanding recognition of its “sovereignty” over the waterway that connects the Arabian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman.
Washington has repeatedly stressed the principle of freedom of navigation in international waters and actively opposing unilateral maritime tolls or blockades.
The US Central Command said it continues to strictly enforce the US blockade against Iranian ports, with American forces redirecting tens of commercial vessels and disabling several ships.
On Monday, CENTCOM said that until May 18, the military has redirected 84 commercial vessels and has disabled four other vessels amid the ongoing US blockade on Iranian ports.
