An oil tanker navigates the strait, reportedly hugging the western coast, despite threats from Iran ’ s Revolutionary Guards. Iran ’ s Revolutionary Guards ( IRGC) have warned against any crossings of the Strait of Hormuz without authorisation, saying vessels not complying “ will be dealt with ” and criticising a new route through the waterway. Sources close to the matter say additional details are expected to emerge soon.

Background

Several key factors have contributed to the current state of affairs.

The future of the strait, a vital route for energy shipments that was effectively blocked by Iran during the more than 100-day war between the United States and Iran, is a key sticking point in negotiations between the sides.

Tehran has said it plans to impose what it calls maritime service fees in the future, as opposed to tolls, while the United States argues it is an international waterway and therefore passage should not be subject to charges.

In a detail that has not gone unnoticed, “ The only authorised route for passage through the Strait of Hormuz is the route unveiled by the Islamic Republic of Iran, ” the Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of Iran ’ s military, said on Thursday.

International Reaction

The depth of the response underscores how closely this situation is being watched.

The warning comes after a Liberian oil tanker made its way out of the strait on Thursday using a route close to Oman ’ s shore.

Alongside the primary story, the Stoic Warrior – signalling that it planned to transit the Strait of Hormuz – set off early on Thursday morning on a trip that saw it hug the coast of the United Arab Emirates and then Oman, according to The Associated Press news agency.

Significantly, aP said that the vessel then travelled approximately Oman ’ s Musandam Peninsula fairly close to the shore, part of a route that Oman laid out alongside the International Maritime Organization, an agency of the United Nations that oversees shipping at sea.

What It Means

For many, the real significance lies not just in what happened — but in what comes next.

Al Jazeera ’ s Resul Serdar, reporting from Tehran, said that the Revolutionary Guards are frustrated over the new route.

Against this backdrop, “ This is because the new route is somehow bypassing the IRGC ’ s control on the Strait of Hormuz, ” he said.

Compounding the significance of these events, serdar said that the control of the Strait of Hormuz has been “ a huge leverage for Iran to put pressure on its adversaries and the universal economy since the beginning of the war ”.

It has also emerged that a Memorandum of Understanding approved last week by Tehran and Washington to extend their ceasefire stipulates that commercial ships may transit the strait free of charge for the next 60 days.

In a related development, bahrain ’ s Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, who chaired the gathering, welcomed Oman ’ s announcement of a corridor for the safe passage of vessels through the strait.

Next Steps

As the full scope of these developments becomes clear, questions about what comes next remain at the forefront. Officials and analysts agree that the situation warrants continued close attention.