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🇻🇪 Venezuela /Conflict & Security

Iran Challenges US, Expands Military Control Over Strait of Hormuz

From El Nacional · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Iran is expanding the area around the Strait of Hormuz under its military control, claiming sovereignty over the key maritime route.
  • A new Iranian authority states that all transit requires coordination and authorization from them, a claim rejected by the US and Gulf allies.
  • The move coincides with increased maritime tensions, including a recent Iranian 'punishment' attack on a tanker and a US seizure of a tanker suspected of violating sanctions.

Iran is dramatically asserting its control over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global oil trade, by significantly expanding the zone it claims falls under its military oversight. The newly established "Persian Gulf Strait Authority" (PGSA) has declared that all passage through the strait now requires coordination and authorization from their body, a move that directly challenges international maritime norms and the interests of the United States and its Gulf allies.

Iran is trying to enshrine a new reality born out of clear military defeat, but its attempts to control the Strait of Hormuz or invade the maritime sovereignty of the UAE are nothing more than mere fantasies.

— Anwar GargashUAE's diplomatic advisor dismissing Iran's claims over the Strait of Hormuz.

This assertion of control is viewed with deep skepticism and outright rejection by regional players and international powers. The UAE, through its diplomatic advisor Anwar Gargash, has dismissed Iran's claims as "mere fantasies," stating that Iran is attempting to fabricate a new reality from a position of military weakness. The US has explicitly advised shipping companies not to comply with Iranian directives, reinforcing its commitment to freedom of navigation in the strategically critical waterway.

The situation is further inflamed by recent incidents. Iranian state-linked media released footage allegedly showing a "punishment" attack on a tanker in the strait, which BBC Verify identified as the Liberian-flagged Barakah. Concurrently, US forces intercepted a tanker, the Celestial Sea, in the Gulf of Oman, suspecting it of violating US sanctions against Iran. These events highlight the escalating tensions and the volatile nature of maritime security in the region.

The US told ships not to comply with the rules imposed by Iran.

— BBC VerifyReporting on the US response to Iran's new maritime regulations.

Iran's non-ratification of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) further complicates the issue, as it does not recognize the guaranteed right of passage for ships in other countries' waters. From Iran's perspective, this expansion of control may be seen as a necessary measure to protect its sovereignty and strategic interests in a region fraught with geopolitical challenges, particularly in the face of perceived external threats and sanctions.

The US military command (Centcom) said it suspected the vessel was violating the US blockade of Iranian ports.

— CentcomStating the reason for the US seizure of the Celestial Sea tanker.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Nacional in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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