Iran appears to be moving from informal disruptions to a more formal system of control over the Strait of Hormuz, according to shipping intelligence and communications reviewed by the Associated Press. The reported plan would effectively position the Islamic Republic as a gatekeeper for the waterway that carries a large share of global oil shipments. AP said the approach would also help Tehran keep its own oil moving.
AP reported that Iranian communications to the UN maritime authority and the experiences of ships transiting the strait point to a mechanism similar to a “toll booth.” Under the reported arrangements, ships are required to enter Iranian waters and be vetted by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, the AP said. At least two vessels have paid for passage, according to the shipping information firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence.
Lloyd’s List Intelligence described the system as an effort to manage transits through “approved intermediaries” tied to the Revolutionary Guard. Entities seeking to move vessels through the strait must submit details including the cargo, owners, destination, and a complete crew list. Approved vessels receive a code and are escorted by an IRGC vessel, and Lloyd’s said oil is prioritized and vessels undergo “geopolitical vetting.”
The reported shift has coincided with a sharp drop in traffic through the strait since the start of the Iran war. AP said traffic has fallen by 90%, contributing to spikes in global oil prices and creating shortages for Asian countries that rely on Persian Gulf oil shipped through the strait. AP cited Lloyd’s List Intelligence data indicating that only about 150 vessels—tankers and container ships—have transited since March 1, which AP described as slightly more than one day’s normal traffic before the war.
AP also reported that Iran’s Kharg Island terminal loaded 1.6 million barrels in March, largely unchanged from prewar monthly loading totals, citing Kpler data. AP said most customers include small, private refineries in China that do not care about U.S. sanctions. In recent weeks, AP reported that a majority of ships that managed passage headed east, out of the Gulf, and that Iran-affiliated ships accounted for 24% of transits by some counting methods. AP said that closer examination indicated vessels connected to Iran accounted for 60% of transits earlier in the war and some 90% in the last few days.
AP reported additional risk indicators that accompany attempts to transit. It said about half of the vessels have turned off radio identification systems that show their locations before going through, then reappear on the other side in the Gulf of Oman. AP said the concern is driven by security losses: the UN’s International Maritime Organization tracks maritime security and has reported that at least 18 ships have been hit and at least seven crew members have been killed, without specifying which nation attacked the vessels.
The AP report also described a push to institutionalize the system through government action. It said that on Tuesday, the IMO received a letter from the Iranian government stating it had “implemented a set of precautionary measures aimed at preserving maritime safety and security.” The letter claimed Iran was acting within the principles of international law, according to AP. AP also said Iran’s parliament appears to be working on a bill to formalize fees for some ships in the strait, with local media reporting that the effort would codify Iranian sovereignty, control, and oversight while creating a revenue stream.
AP said officials and industry representatives have responded sharply to the prospect of formalized fees. An Emirati oil executive, Sultan al-Jaber, head of the state-run Abu Dhabi National Oil Co., called the reported approach “economic terrorism” in remarks tied to an event in Washington hosted by the Middle East Institute. AP reported al-Jaber saying, “Weaponizing the Strait of Hormuz is not an act of aggression against one nation,” adding that it is “economic terrorism against every consumer” and arguing that “No country can be allowed to destabilize the global economy in this way.”
International maritime bodies have also urged steps beyond unilateral control. AP said the IMO condemned attacks on vessels and called for an internationally coordinated approach to secure passage through the strait that respects freedom of navigation. AP reported that a Gulf Cooperation Council secretary general, Jasem Mohamed al-Budaiwi, said Iran’s collection of fees for passage is “an aggression and a violation of the United Nations agreement on the law of the sea.”
AP reported that maritime historian Sal Mercogliano, of Campbell University in North Carolina, said there is “no provision in international law anywhere to set up a toll booth and shake down shipping,” and described the approach as Iran using its control of the strait. AP also cited Article 19 of the UN Law of the Sea Treaty, which it said requires countries to allow “innocent passage” for peaceful, law-abiding ships through territorial waters.
The AP report suggested that the reported toll payments could also intersect with sanctions risk. It said such payments likely run afoul of American and European sanctions on the IRGC, which AP described as a key power center in Iran that controls Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal and was involved in suppressing nationwide protests in January. AP reported that for some ships, passage may have been allowed after diplomatic pressure, pointing to two Indian vessels carrying liquid petroleum gas that reportedly transited.
The Associated Press report portrayed the overall effort as a move toward a permanent system rather than a temporary wartime measure. It said Iran appears to be formalizing its ability to vet and manage transits through the Strait of Hormuz while maintaining its own oil loading—an outcome that, if implemented as described, would deepen Tehran’s leverage over a critical global chokepoint.