Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy is enforcing new shipping restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz, warning vessels outside its designated corridors face sanctions and "severe repercussions." Daily transits through the strait, which carries roughly 20% of the world's oil trade, have dropped sharply, and Tehran has rejected alternative routes proposed by Oman and the International Maritime Organization.
Iran's IRGC Navy has begun enforcing strict new shipping rules in the Strait of Hormuz, and any vessel that strays outside the routes it designates risks sanctions and lost services. The strait carries roughly 20% of the world's oil trade, so the restrictions touch nearly every seaborne barrel moving out of the Gulf.
What Iran is demanding
The IRGC's directive requires all vessels transiting the strait to follow Tehran-designated shipping routes exclusively. Ships must also maintain prior communication via VHF Channel 16, the international maritime distress and calling frequency, effectively checking in with Iranian naval authorities before passage.
Vessels navigating outside the designated corridors face "severe repercussions," a phrase that in context includes potential military responses. According to Crypto Briefing: "a newly designated restricted zone will face sanctions and have services revoked". Iran has reportedly already turned back vessels and claimed strikes against those that violated the mandates.
Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, announced plans on September 8-9, 2026, to establish a formal exclusion zone in the Persian Gulf, with new shipping corridor maps expected to accompany it. Tehran has flatly rejected alternative southern corridors that Oman and the International Maritime Organization have proposed since June 2026.
Traffic has collapsed
Daily vessel transits through the strait have dropped to as low as six ships per day as of September 2026. The restrictions trace back to escalating US-Iran tensions that intensified from February 2026 onward, and Washington has responded with sanctions targeting Iranian entities linked to alleged extortion schemes involving maritime transit fees.
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow passage between Iran and Oman, roughly 21 miles wide at its narrowest point, and nearly all seaborne oil exports from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, and the UAE pass through it. The IRGC Navy, distinct from Iran's conventional navy, operates as the primary maritime force in the Persian Gulf and reports directly to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei rather than the civilian government.
The choice facing shipping companies
Shipping companies now face a difficult calculation. Complying with Iran's designated routes means accepting Tehran's authority over international waters, a position most Western governments reject. Defying the routes means accepting the risk of military confrontation with the IRGC, while avoiding the strait entirely means rerouting around the Cape of Good Hope, adding weeks and millions of dollars to each voyage.
The IMO's alternative corridor proposals were designed to de-escalate by giving vessels a path around Iranian-claimed waters. Tehran's rejection closes that offramp.
Source: Crypto Briefing
Trading involves risk.
Risk Disclaimer
