A Liberian oil tanker made its way out of the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday despite threats to shipping from Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, using a new route close to Oman’s coast that has been promoted by a UN maritime agency.
The transit of the Stoic Warrior and the threats surrounding it come as tensions rise between Iran and the United States over the terms of their interim accord aimed at permanently ending the Iran war. From securing safe passage for ships through the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf to the future of Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium, the two nations are increasingly at odds over the details of the agreement signed last week.
Under the memorandum of understanding, the US and Iran agreed to a 60-day period to resolve these and other outstanding issues. Until then, while private negotiations continue, leaders from both countries are expected to keep debating the deal publicly, increasing the risk of undermining the fragile ceasefire in the region.
A major threat to the agreement is the renewed violence in Lebanon between Israel and the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah. On Wednesday, Israel launched an air strike that killed two people in southern Lebanon, according to the country’s state-run news agency. It was Israel’s first air strike on Lebanon since the latest ceasefire took effect on Saturday.
The Stoic Warrior — having signalled its intention to transit the Strait of Hormuz — departed early on Thursday on a journey that saw it closely follow the coasts of the United Arab Emirates and Oman.
The vessel then travelled around Oman’s Musandam Peninsula, remaining relatively close to shore along a route developed by Oman in cooperation with the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the UN agency responsible for regulating international shipping.
North of this route lies the Traffic Separation Scheme, the central shipping corridor through the strait that vessels have used freely for decades. The waterway carries roughly a fifth of the world's oil and natural gas supplies.
However, at least one mine has reportedly been spotted in the area after the Revolutionary Guard claimed it had mined the passage during the war that began on 28 February with US and Israeli strikes on Iran. The threat posed by the mines forced the closure of the traditional route.
The naval arm of the Revolutionary Guard, apparently responding to the Oman-IMO route, issued an angry warning on Thursday, carried by Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency.
“A few hours ago, without notice or coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran, some authorities announced a new route for ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, which is unacceptable and completely dangerous,” the Guard said.
“It is hereby notified to all that the only authorised route for passing through the Strait of Hormuz is the one declared by the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the force said. “Vessel traffic outside these routes is extremely dangerous and prohibited.”
It added: “Violators will be dealt with,” without elaborating.
There were no immediate reports of any incidents in the strait as the Stoic Warrior passed through. Several vessels followed behind it, according to ship-tracking data.
Anwar Gargash, a senior Emirati diplomat, warned Iran on Thursday against attempting to impede traffic through the strait or impose fees on vessels using the waterway.
“New geopolitical facts cannot be imposed on the Arab Gulf states as a result of a treacherous aggression against them,” Gargash wrote on X. “It sows new seeds of discord and conflict for the future. And this is precisely what applies to the Strait of Hormuz.”
Israel’s military said on Thursday that a reservist soldier had been killed and another wounded in southern Lebanon, where Israeli troops continue to occupy parts of the country. At least 37 soldiers have been killed in Lebanon or northern Israel during the fighting, along with one civilian defence contractor. Two civilians in northern Israel have also been killed.
More than 4,000 people in Lebanon have been killed in Israeli strikes since the latest Israel-Hezbollah war began in March, two days after the Iran war started and after the Lebanese militant group launched attacks on Israel.
Iran has insisted that the fighting in Lebanon must end and that Israel relinquish the territory it occupies there in order to reach a permanent agreement with the US on the wider Middle East conflict. Israel, meanwhile, maintains that it must retain freedom of action to counter Hezbollah attacks, even as pressure from Washington over its military campaign continues to grow.