By Suleman Chitera
Iran lays out new rules for Strait of Hormuz
Iran is trying to force shippers to comply with a new protocol for transiting the Strait of Hormuz — or risk attack.
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Tehran has laid out a set of new rules for vessels seeking to transit the strait, according to a document seen by CNN, pressing ahead with efforts to formalize control over the waterway in defiance of US warnings.
Entitled “Vessel Information Declaration,” the document is an application form issued by Iran’s newly created Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) and must be completed by all transiting vessels to ensure safe passage. It was shared with CNN by Lloyds List and another shipping industry source who wished to remain anonymous.
Before the US and Israeli campaign against Iran began at the end of February, the strait was free for any vessel of any origin to navigate. But since the conflict began, Iran has threatened to strike any ship passing through Hormuz without permission from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy. A number of vessels have come under attack, but the vast majority of ship owners and operators have opted not to take the risk of sending their vessels through in defiance of Iran.
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The move to set up an authority for the strait underscores Iran’s determination to cement control over what it sees as a spoil of war, despite repeated US and regional warnings. Dominance of the waterway, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flows, would hand the Islamic Republic immense leverage over its neighbors and the global economy.
A Revolutionary Guard navy speedboat approaches the cargo ship Epaminondas during what state media described as the seizure of one of two vessels accused of violations in the Strait of Hormuz, on April 21. Meysam Mirzadeh/Tasnim News Agency/AP
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The closure of the Strait of Hormuz unleashed the biggest oil supply shock in history, sending energy prices sharply higher. On Wednesday, US gas prices rose above $4.50 per gallon for the first time in four years.
‘A new regional and global order’
On Wednesday, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s account on the social media app Telegram posted a message laying out his vision for the Persian Gulf.
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The leader called for a “new regional and global order under the strategy of a strong Iran” where there would be no place for foreigners “and their mischief.” He specifically pointed to “using the leverage of closing the strait” as one way to achieve that vision.
At the end of April, a statement attributed to Khamenei indicated Iran would create the mechanism to supervising traffic at the waterway.
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Iran would implement “new legal frameworks and management of the Strait of Hormuz,” the statement said, which would benefit its neighbors and prove economically fruitful