Iran establishes oversight zone for ships transiting Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority announced the establishment of a controlled maritime zone in the Strait of Hormuz requiring vessels to coordinate with and obtain authorization from the authority before transiting the strategic waterway.

In a statement published Wednesday on the US social media platform X, the authority outlined the management and monitoring boundaries of the strait.

It said the zone extends from Kuh-e Mubarak in Iran to south of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates at the eastern entrance of the strait, and from the tip of Iran’s Qeshm Island to Umm al-Quwain in the UAE at the western entrance.

The authority also published a map illustrating the newly designated zone.

Regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran in February. Tehran retaliated with strikes targeting Israel as well as US allies in the Gulf, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but talks in Islamabad failed to secure a lasting agreement. US President Donald Trump later extended the truce indefinitely while maintaining a blockade on vessels traveling to or from Iranian ports through the strategic waterway.