Iran insists on right to control Hormuz shipping after ship is hit near Oman

DUBAI – Iran reasserted its right on June 26 to control shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and warned Gulf states against siding with the United States, a day after an attack on a ship near Oman highlighted the fragility of a preliminary deal to end the Middle East war.

Tehran was responding to what it called an “interventionist, irresponsible and provocative” joint statement by the US and six Gulf states that 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.

Oil prices dipped further on June 26, despite conflicting interpretations of last week’s interim deal between Iran and the US, and a slowdown in traffic through the strait, where a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies typically passes.

Saudi Aramco resumed crude loadings at its Ras Tanura terminal in the Gulf, the world’s biggest oil port, after a nearly four-month halt, shipping data showed.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio – wrapping up a tour of the Gulf to reassure nervous regional allies about the interim pact – told reporters on June 25 that, if Iran threatened or blocked ships in the strait, “we’re going to have a problem”.

In their joint statement, Rubio and the Gulf Cooperation Council called for “free, unconditional, and unrestricted navigation” in the Strait of Hormuz without tolls or “attempts to assert control”.

The statement said a lasting peace must address Iran’s ballistic missiles, drones and support for proxy groups.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry responded on June 26 by saying the US military presence in the Gulf is the source of regional insecurity and division, and said the strait should be governed by Tehran and Oman in line with the terms of the interim deal.

“We warn against the continuation of hostile and interventionist policies in the region,” it said.

Tehran took effective control of the waterway after US-Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb 28 triggered the war, disrupting oil flows and rattling global energy markets and the wider economy.

Taiwan’s Evergreen Marine said on June 26 its Singapore-flagged ship Ever Lovely was hit close to Oman on June 25 by an “unknown object” while on a route recommended by the British navy agency UKMTO.

Nobody was hurt in the incident, and the ship later resumed its journey out of the strait.

Two US officials said Iran fired on the ship, while Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority – established by Tehran to manage requests for ships to travel through the strait – said passage through unauthorised routes would be “the responsibility of the owner, operator and vessel commander”.

US President Donald Trump warned earlier in June that, if Iran does not honour the interim deal, including reopening the strait, the US would probably go back to bombing the country.

Alongside the issue of control over the strait, disagreements persist over other elements of the framework ceasefire deal, including over financial incentives for Iran, nuclear inspections, and Israel’s parallel war in Lebanon.

The deal has set up 60 days of talks to tackle thornier issues, including Iran’s nuclear programme.

In the US, the war is weighing heavily on Trump ahead of November midterm elections that will determine control of Congress.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO), a UN agency, temporarily paused its operation to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz after the Oman incident.

The IMO and Oman earlier this week announced a new southern route through the strait to evacuate hundreds of ships stranded by the war, angering Tehran.

South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung said on June 26 that three South Korean ships would leave the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend after the Oceans Ministry reported eight more South Korean vessels had exited.

Two Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCC) controlled by Saudi Arabia’s shipping arm Bahri were seen loading crude at Ras Tanura, while another waited nearby, shipping data showed. Each VLCC can load 2 million barrels of oil.

Ras Tanura sits on Saudi Arabia’s eastern coast on the Gulf and is west of the Strait of Hormuz. It used to export more than 5 million barrels of crude per day before the conflict. REUTERS