Iran reasserts its right to control shipping in Strait of Hormuz after ship hit near Oman

Tehran reasserted its right on Friday to control shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and warned Gulf states against siding with the U.S.

The warning came a day after an attack on a ship near Oman exposed the fragility of a preliminary deal to end the Iran war.

Does Iran legally control the Strait of Hormuz?

Iran claims control as a coastal state but its position is disputed by the U.S. and Gulf allies, who reject any tolls or unilateral restrictions on passage. Iran took effective control of the waterway after U.S.-Israeli strikes triggered the war on February 28, disrupting oil flows and rattling global energy markets.

Iran was responding to a joint statement it called "interventionist, irresponsible and provocative," issued by the United States and six Gulf states. The statement rejected Iran's insistence that it could charge tolls on vessels transiting the strait. "Safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz cannot be guaranteed under ambiguous arrangements, parallel routes or decision-making that does not take Iran's role as a coastal state into account," Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on X.

Did Iran attack a ship in the Strait of Hormuz?

Two U.S. officials told Reuters that Iran had fired on a cargo ship near Oman. Taiwan's Evergreen Marine said its Singapore-flagged ship Ever Lovely was hit close to Oman on Thursday by an "unknown object" while on a route recommended by the British navy agency UKMTO. Nobody was hurt, and the ship later resumed its journey out of the strait.

Iranian state TV separately reported that three foreign tankers attempting what it called "unauthorised passage" of the strait were turned back after a warning from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority, established by Tehran to manage requests for ships transiting the strait, said passage through unauthorized routes would be "the responsibility of the owner, operator, and vessel commander." There was no immediate comment from the U.S. government.

Did Iran threaten to close the Strait of Hormuz?

Iran has not announced a closure, but its officials have issued sharp warnings to Gulf states and Washington over the strait's future. Ali Akbar Velayati, a top adviser to Iran's supreme leader, said the stability of Gulf Arab states depends on Iran's "century-long management" of the strait and that their "strategic survival is at the mercy of Tehran's tolerance."

Iran's foreign ministry said on Friday that U.S. military presence in the Gulf was the source of regional insecurity. It added that the strait should be governed by Iran and Oman under the terms of the interim deal. "We warn against the continuation of hostile and interventionist policies in the region," the ministry said.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, wrapping up a tour of the Gulf to reassure regional allies about the interim pact, told reporters on Thursday that the U.S. would have "a problem" if Iran threatened or blocked ships in the strait. In their joint statement, Rubio and the Gulf Cooperation Council called for "free, unconditional, and unrestricted navigation" in the strait, without tolls or "attempts to assert control."

How is the Strait of Hormuz dispute affecting oil markets?

Oil prices dropped more than 3% on Friday and were on course for steep weekly losses, despite conflicting interpretations of last week's interim deal between Iran and the U.S. and a slowdown in traffic through the strait. The waterway typically carries a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.

Saudi Aramco resumed crude loadings on Friday at its Ras Tanura terminal, the world's biggest oil port, after a nearly four-month halt, shipping data showed. Two Very Large Crude Carriers controlled by Saudi Arabia's shipping arm Bahri were seen loading crude at the terminal, with another waiting nearby. Each VLCC can carry 2 million barrels of oil, and Ras Tanura used to export more than 5 million barrels per day before the conflict.

Has Iran agreed to open the Strait of Hormuz?

Iran has not agreed to fully reopen the strait under terms acceptable to the U.S. and its allies, and disagreements over the waterway remain unresolved within the broader ceasefire framework. President Donald Trump warned this month that the U.S. would likely resume bombing Iran if it failed to honor the interim deal, including reopening the strait.

Disagreements also persist over other elements of the deal, including financial incentives for Iran, nuclear inspections and Israel's parallel war in Lebanon. The agreement has set up 60 days of talks to address tougher issues, including Iran's nuclear program. In the U.S., the conflict is weighing heavily on Trump ahead of November midterm elections that will determine control of Congress.

The International Maritime Organization, a U.N. agency, temporarily paused its operation to escort ships through the strait following the incident near Oman. The IMO and Oman had announced a new southern route through the strait this week to evacuate hundreds of ships stranded by the war, a move that angered Tehran. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Friday that three South Korean ships would leave the strait over the weekend, after the country's Oceans Ministry reported eight more vessels had already exited.