The Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) of Iran has released what seems to be the clearest description yet of the maritime area it claims to control in the Strait of Hormuz. This move escalates Tehran's efforts to cre...
The Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) of Iran has released what seems to be the clearest description yet of the maritime area it claims to control in the Strait of Hormuz. This move escalates Tehran's efforts to create a system where permission is needed for ships to navigate through a crucial shipping passage.
In a recent post on X, the PGSA stated that Iran has defined its “Strait of Hormuz management supervision area” as stretching from “the line connecting Kuh Mobarak in Iran to the south of Fujairah in the UAE to the line connecting the end of Qeshm Island in Iran to Umm al-Qaiwain in the UAE.”
This statement essentially outlines a corridor that covers much of the Strait and the surrounding areas between Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
A map shared by the PGSA highlighted large portions of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman under what it called Iranian “armed forces oversight,” which goes beyond the usual traffic separation schemes used for international shipping.
The PGSA added that any ships operating in this area “must coordinate with the Persian Gulf Waterway Management and obtain a permit from this authority” to pass through the Strait.
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This announcement represents another step in Iran's ongoing attempt to exert direct control over commercial navigation in Hormuz amid the ongoing tensions involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran, leading to disruptions in normal shipping traffic in the region.
Recent guidance from major shipping organizations, including BIMCO, INTERTANKO, OCIMF, and the International Chamber of Shipping, has highlighted that conditions around Hormuz remain unstable and potentially hazardous, even if shipping traffic starts again.
The guidance describes multiple threats, such as GNSS jamming and spoofing, AIS manipulation, unmanned surface vessel attacks, limpet mines, missile and drone strikes, stray sea mines, and “extreme congestion traffic conditions” that can quickly arise if vessels try to transit after long delays.
The PGSA first made an appearance earlier this month with an official account on X, claiming to be the “legal entity and representative authority of Iran for managing transit through the Strait of Hormuz.”
At that time, the organization cautioned that any vessel navigating waters defined by Iranian authorities without “full coordination” would be considered illegally operating.
Reports suggest that shipowners have been instructed to reach out to the PGSA directly for authorization to transit and provide detailed operational information, including cargo values, crew nationalities, vessel origins and destinations, and previous flag registrations.
Iranian officials also indicated they are looking to build a wider regional framework around this new transit system. According to Reuters, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei stated that Tehran aims to establish a solution with Oman to ensure “sustainable security” in the Strait of Hormuz and is willing to create protocols for safe shipping in collaboration with other coastal states.
Additionally, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reported that 26 commercial vessels—including oil tankers, cargo ships, and other merchant vessels—passed through the Strait in the past 24 hours “in coordination with Iran.” The IRGC stated that the passage was continuing with permits and coordination from Iranian authorities.
This situation has raised concerns in the maritime industry, where operators doubt that any transit regime managed by Iran can provide safe and legally sound passage options.
Industry groups and maritime security experts have repeatedly warned that risks in the Strait are significant, particularly due to ongoing threats such as sea mines, sporadic attacks on vessels, GPS interference, and increasing legal risks related to coordination with Iranian authorities or the IRGC.
The Iranian announcements also followed a statement from U.S. Central Command, which reported that U.S. Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit boarded and searched the Iranian-flagged tanker M/T Celestial Sea in the Gulf of Oman and ordered the vessel to change its course. CENTCOM noted that this operation is part of Washington's expanding maritime enforcement efforts, which have redirected more than 90 commercial vessels near Iranian ports.
The new industry guidance further warned that even if a transit window opens, risks of collisions and groundings could increase due to high traffic levels, AIS overload, erratic ship maneuvers, reduced military oversight, and heightened crew fatigue during a potential surge in shipping activity through the Strait.
Although there are occasional signs of possible political de-escalation, commercial traffic through Hormuz remains significantly below normal, with many shipowners unwilling to navigate without reliable multinational security assurances and verified mine clearance efforts.