The Strait of Hormuz is moving into a more complicated stage of the U.S.-Iran war. Tehran says it will establish a new restricted maritime zone around the waterway, while Iran and Oman are preparing to formalise a separate shipping route intended to restore at least part of commercial traffic.
The immediate issue is whether ships can move again. The larger dispute is already taking shape around another question: who will set the conditions for those ships to move?
Iranian state media reported that the zone would extend into parts of the Persian Gulf and that vessels entering it without coordination with Iran could face sanctions.
The announcement about the new route comes after another sharp escalation at sea. U.S. forces have struck Iranian oil tankers, while Iran has targeted vessels it considers unauthorised as well as U.S.-linked.
Tehran now plans to establish a restricted maritime zone extending from the perimeter of the U.S. naval blockade deeper into Gulf waters. To operationalise passage, Iranian and Omani officials are completing a formal agreement on an 11.3-kilometer-wide shipping corridor. Because the route's entry and primary exit points run directly through Iranian territorial waters, practical oversight remains squarely under Tehran’s authority.
The two governments also referred to information sharing, traffic management and navigation and security services. Iran and Oman said they would discuss the future administration of the Strait, while also holding consultations with other Gulf states bordering its waters. They stressed the need to respect international law and the sovereign rights of coastal states.
Oman is also walking a diplomatic tightrope by framing the proposed corridor as a temporary fix to restore shipping without handing Tehran permanent dominance over the Strait.
By maintaining active channels with both Washington and Tehran, Muscat is trying to prevent the route from being seen as an Iranian-controlled checkpoint while pushing for a long-term solution that includes all regional partners.
Gulf Countries are also following updates. The UAE has repeatedly called for uninterrupted international navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. Abu Dhabi again condemned attacks on commercial shipping and stressed freedom of navigation. There is no public indication that the UAE has accepted a system requiring ships to coordinate with an Iran-Oman mechanism before entering Hormuz.
At the same time, Qatar has taken a similar position. On September 4, Doha told the United Nations that Iran's attacks and disruption of navigation could not be justified under international law. Qatar reaffirmed freedom of navigation through the Strait, when Kuwait has called for the full and unconditional reopening of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, shipping companies are already adapting. Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) cargoes from Qatar and the UAE have been transferred between ships outside Hormuz, while daily commercial traffic through the Strait has fallen sharply.
The immediate challenge is reopening the route. The bigger question is what rules will govern it once ships return. The answer will depend on whether Iran, Oman and the other Gulf states can agree on who controls access and how freedom of navigation is protected.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has plunged to its lowest level since May following a sharp escalation in attacks on tankers by U.S. and Iran...
The Strait of Hormuz is moving into a more complicated stage of the U.S.-Iran war. Tehran says it will establish a new restricted maritime zone aro...
Increasingly intense wildfires and heat waves are threatening global efforts to improve air quality and protect public health, the United Nations&r...
An eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Anak Krakatau has disrupted air travel, school activities and fishing operations, with hundreds of passengers stranded at Jakarta’s main airport on Sunday.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday that the United States must recognise that the “rules of the game” in its war against Iran had changed “before it is too late”, a day after Washington struck several Iranian tankers in the Gulf.
At least five people were killed and five others injured when an Amazon Prime Air cargo plane overran a runway and crashed while landing at Miami International Airport on Sunday, 6 September, local officials said.
Two Greek military pilots were killed on Saturday when an F-4 Phantom fighter jet crashed during an air show at Tanagra air base, north of Athens, officials said.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Moscow for peace talks on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, two people familiar with the matter said. They were met by Russian Presidential Envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said a newly commissioned destroyer will become part of the country's nuclear response system, capable of delivering what he described as “annihilating retaliatory strikes”.
U.S. special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Sunday on efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Seven Indonesian airports, including two serving Jakarta, remained closed early on Monday morning because of volcanic ash from eruptions at Mount Anak Krakatau, the transport minister said. One other airport in South Sumatra has been reopened.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 7th of September, covering the latest developments.
Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said on Monday that China could view recent cuts to U.S.-South Korea military exercises as an opportunity to reassert itself in the Indo-Pacific.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment