Iran's Revolutionary Guards unveil new map asserting control over Strait of Hormuz amid shipping standstill

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a new map on May 4, 2026, delineating areas of the Strait of Hormuz under its control, stretching from Qeshm Island to Mount Mobarak, and warning the US Navy to stay out while requiring commercial vessels to coordinate passage with Iran's military. Shipping through the critical waterway remains at a standstill, with only one sanctioned LPG tanker and a few cargo ships passing through, while hundreds of commercial vessels and up to 20,000 seafarers remain stranded. The US announced efforts to restore freedom of navigation beginning May 4, 2026, while simultaneously maintaining a blockade on Iranian ports imposed April 13, 2026. Shipping companies like Hapag-Lloyd report transit remains impossible due to lack of clarity over secure passage procedures, and maritime organizations state the industry has received no guidance on navigating the conflicting US and Iranian claims.

Iran's territorial claims and new map of Strait of Hormuz control

• ▪Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy issued a new map of the Strait of Hormuz area under its control on May 4, 2026
• ▪The area claimed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stops in the east at a line between Iran's Mount Mobarak and the UAE's Emirate of Fujairah
• ▪The area claimed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps begins in the west along a line between the westernmost tip of Iran's Qeshm Island and the United Arab Emirates' emirate of Umm al-Qaiwain

Continued shipping standstill and lack of safe passage

• ▪Only one tanker, a sanctioned handy-sized LPG carrier, along with a few cargo ships and a cable-laying vessel, passed into the Gulf of Oman on May 4, 2026
• ▪No tankers or other commercial vessels were seen lining up to transit the Strait of Hormuz on May 4, 2026
• ▪Jakob Larsen of the Baltic and International Maritime Council stated that without consent from Iran to let commercial ships transit safely through the Strait of Hormuz, it is unclear whether the Iranian threat to ships can be degraded or suppressed
• ▪The US-led Joint Maritime Information Center stated that the maritime security threat level in the Strait of Hormuz remained critical
• ▪Hundreds of commercial vessels and up to 20,000 seafarers have been unable to transit the Strait of Hormuz as a result of the Iran war
• ▪The Baltic and International Maritime Council stated that the shipping industry has received no guidance regarding the US operation and its intent

US military operations and diplomatic tensions with Iran

• ▪All 22 crew members of the Iranian-flagged container ship Touska were evacuated to Pakistan and would be returned home
• ▪US President Donald Trump stated on May 3, 2026 that the United States would begin efforts to free up shipping through the Strait of Hormuz
• ▪The Iranian-flagged container ship Touska will be returned to its owners after repairs
• ▪US forces boarded and seized the Iranian-flagged container ship Touska in April 2026
• ▪US Central Command is continuing its blockade of Iranian ports while helping to restore freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz
• ▪The US naval blockade imposed on Iranian ports on April 13, 2026 has shrunk Tehran's oil exports
• ▪US Central Command described US missions in the Strait of Hormuz as defensive and stated they would combine diplomatic efforts with military coordination
• ▪US Central Command stated it would begin helping to restore freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz on May 4, 2026

Perspective of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

• ▪Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claims sovereign authority over designated areas of the Strait of Hormuz extending from Qeshm Island to Mount Mobarak
• ▪Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps requires commercial vessels to coordinate with Iran's military before transiting the Strait of Hormuz

Perspective of International shipping industry

• ▪The Baltic and International Maritime Council believes degrading the Iranian threat to ships requires Iran's consent for safe commercial transit