Iran Asserts Control Over Strait with Attack on Merchant Vessel

Iran asserts that it controls access and that any passage must be approved by it, and to prove that, it attacked a merchant vessel in Omani waters yesterday. This cannot stand. If this is the future—where Iran decides who may transit international waters under threat of attack—then the rules-based order is finished. This is unsustainable.

New York Times: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards issued a new threat on Thursday to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz as Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Gulf Arab leaders in Bahrain to try to allay their security concerns. Iran warned ships that the only route through the strait, which is usually a vital pathway for oil and natural gas, was through its waters, in coordination with its navy, and said they should not take an alternative route, in an apparent reference to Omani territorial waters. The threat came just as shipping in the strategic waterway was surging this week after months of paralysis. “This route is unacceptable and extremely dangerous,” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said early on Thursday in a statement carried by Tasnim, an Iranian news agency tied to the guards. “We warn all vessels to strictly refrain from any movement outside the designated routes,” it added, warning that action would be taken against vessels that did not heed its instructions. An incident on Thursday appeared to highlight the risk. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations organization, which is administered by Britain’s Royal Navy, reported that a cargo vessel had been hit by an “unknown projectile,” causing damage to the bridge. The incident happened 7.5 nautical miles southeast of Dahit, Oman, near where vessels taking the Omani route may be transiting.

A U.S. official confirmed to PBS News that Iran fired a drone that hit a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz, and traffic through the strait has largely stopped.

The strike came as Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited the Persian Gulf to try to reassure American allies… pic.twitter.com/WmDF5A0yv6

— PBS News (@NewsHour) June 25, 2026

According to the Wall Street Journal, US officials have confirmed that the attack came from Iran. (Wall Street Journal.) As of now, the White House has not commented on the attack.

BREAKING

Ships are again turning around in the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC Navy continues to broadcast that the strait is closed, warning that only vessels with Iranian permission may pass and threatening consequences for noncompliance.@_martinkelly_ pic.twitter.com/Vdmjx25YmD

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) June 25, 2026

An Iranian source told the New York Times that Tehran is furious with Oman for allowing ships to pass through an alternative route in the Strait of Hormuz without coordinating with the IRGC. In response, Iran launched a drone at a ship in the strait to damage the passage and… https://t.co/QUFkAvOt1Z

— Raylan Givens (@JewishWarrior13) June 26, 2026

Ships are again turning around in the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC Navy continues to broadcast that the strait is closed, warning that only vessels with Iranian permission may pass and threatening consequences for noncompliance.