Iran is trying to force shippers to comply with a new protocol for transiting the Strait of Hormuz — or risk attack.
Tehran has laid out a set of new rules for vessels seeking to transit the strait, according to a document seen by
CNN, pressing ahead with efforts to formalize control over the waterway in defiance of US warnings.
Entitled “Vessel Information Declaration,” the document is an application form issued by Iran’s newly created Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) and must be completed by all transiting vessels to ensure safe passage. It was shared with CNN by Lloyds List and another shipping industry source who wished to remain anonymous.
Before the US and Israeli campaign against Iran began at the end of February, the strait was free for any vessel of any origin to navigate. But since the conflict began, Iran has threatened to strike any ship passing through Hormuz without permission from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy. A number of vessels have come under attack, but the vast majority of ship owners and operators have opted not to take the risk of sending their vessels through in defiance of Iran.
The move to set up an authority for the strait underscores Iran’s determination to cement control over what it sees as a spoil of war, despite repeated US and regional warnings. Dominance of the waterway, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flows, would hand the Islamic Republic immense leverage over its neighbors and the global economy.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz unleashed the biggest oil supply shock in history, sending energy prices sharply higher. On Wednesday, US gas prices rose above $4.50 per gallon for the first time in four years.
