Iran enforces new routing requirements in Strait of Hormuz, seizing ships as Oman maintains diplomatic neutrality

Jul 2, 2026

Iran has intensified tensions in the Strait of Hormuz by enforcing strict routing requirements and threatening a forceful response against non-compliant oil tankers. While a fragile ceasefire holds and ship traffic slowly recovers, Iran continues to hold seized commercial vessels and demands transit fees. Meanwhile, Oman maintains diplomatic neutrality, navigating pressures from both Tehran and Washington, which strongly opposes any tolling system in the vital global energy corridor.

Strait of Hormuz shipping restrictions

▪Lloyd's List Intelligence reported that 258 ships transited the Strait of Hormuz during the week ending July 2, 2026, up from 138 the previous week.
▪The United States and several Gulf Arab states oppose Iran's proposal to charge transit fees for vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
▪Under a June 17, 2026, interim agreement, the United States and Iran agreed to allow ships to transit the Strait of Hormuz without charges for 60 days.
▪Oman employs strategic ambiguity in discussions regarding transit fees in the Strait of Hormuz, balancing pressures from both Iran and the United States.
▪Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya military command warned on July 2, 2026, that oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz must use approved routes or face an immediate response.

US-Israeli strikes on Iran

▪US-Israeli military strikes during the conflict killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and damaged Iran's nuclear program.
▪The United States conducted at least 96 strikes in and around Bandar Abbas, Iran, between February 28, 2026, and the April 8, 2026, ceasefire.
▪An Israeli airstrike on March 26, 2026, in Bandar Abbas, Iran, targeted and killed Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Navy commander Alireza Tangsiri.

Bandar Abbas civilian casualties

▪An Israeli airstrike on March 26, 2026, on an apartment building behind Bandar Abbas's main university killed three people and injured seven.
▪The Iranian Red Crescent reported that 261 people, including civilians and military personnel, were killed in Iran's Hormuzgan province during the conflict.

Economic impact on residents

▪Local fishermen in Bandar Abbas, Iran, halted operations for months due to dangerous conditions before returning under a partial ceasefire.
▪The conflict in the Strait of Hormuz caused global oil prices to surge, increasing energy, fuel, and shipping costs worldwide.

Iranian asymmetric warfare strategy

▪Bandar Abbas serves as the strategic headquarters for both the Iranian Navy and the naval arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
▪Iran utilizes the Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately one-fifth of global oil and gas shipments pass, as key leverage in asymmetric warfare.

Seized commercial vessels

▪Despite a partial ceasefire, Iran continues to hold the seized commercial vessels MSC Francesca and Epaminondas offshore near Bandar Abbas.
▪The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps seized the Panama-flagged MSC Francesca and Liberia-flagged Epaminondas in April 2026, accusing them of endangering maritime security.