Iran has threatened 46 ships with fines, detention or confiscation for violating its transit rules in the Strait of Hormuz, escalating a standoff with Washington. The move follows a US Treasury pledge to target any countries supporting the Iranian regime, and comes as daily transits through the waterway have fallen to among the lowest levels of the conflict.
Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority said on X that 46 ships had violated "Iranian protocols" for transiting the Strait of Hormuz, warning the vessels now face restrictions on future passages, including fines, detention or confiscation. The list includes ships owned by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and South Korea's Sinokor.
A response to Washington's "economic D-Day"
The threat follows an escalation from the US side. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wrote in an FT op-ed that Washington would unveil measures targeting any countries supporting the Iranian regime to "sever every economic lifeline" sustaining it. Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei responded by accusing the US of "economic terrorism" and warned Tehran would retaliate.
Martin Kelly, head of advisory at the consultancy EOS Risk, said Iran's move marks the "first real implementation of a target profile in the Strait of Hormuz". He added that Iran now treats the strait as closed to any ship lacking its permission, and that some vessels on the new list have already been attacked.
Transits collapse as tankers get hit
Traffic through the strait has fallen to among the lowest levels of the conflict since a ceasefire between Washington and Tehran broke down. Maritime analytics firm Windward recorded about 16 transits a day in the past week, down from more than 130 before the conflict broke out in late February.
Most of the listed vessels are oil, oil-derivative and LNG tankers running shuttle routes that Gulf countries have increasingly used to move cargo to risk-averse ships waiting on the other side. Several have already been struck: the chief engineer of the cargo ship Minoan Dignity was killed last week, bringing the number of seafarers who have died during the war to 19, according to the International Maritime Organization.
Wider Gulf risk builds
Oil exports from Saudi Arabia through the Red Sea have also been hit by escalating attacks from Yemeni Houthi rebels, and another tanker was struck on Monday outside the port of Yanbu, the first vessel hit that far north in the Red Sea this year. The broader risk is compounded by a stalled 60-day ceasefire under which Iran had waived transit charges, which ended last week.
Iran's state media reported that Pakistan's military chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, travelled to Tehran on Monday in an effort to mediate, and Iran's foreign ministry said an Omani delegation would visit this week to discuss the strait's security. Iran has meanwhile halted much of its own oil production and exports under the US naval blockade, though analysts at Energy Aspects spotted a tanker loading at Iran's Kharg Island terminal on Monday for the first time in just under two weeks.
Source: Financial Times
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