Iran warns of ‘forceful response’ if tankers don’t use approved Strait of Hormuz routes

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Iran’s joint military command on Thursday warned of a “forceful response” if all the oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz do not follow the approved routes.

“Any failure to comply, deviation from the designated route, or disregard for the navigation protocols of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Strait of Hormuz will be met with an immediate and forceful response from the armed forces, endangering the security of the violating vessels,” the Khatam al-Anbiya military command said in a statement to Iranian state media.

The warning added that “any disruptive action in the Strait of Hormuz will be considered a threat to Iran’s national sovereignty and will be met with a rapid and decisive action.”

It is unclear what prompted the response, though Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal Aid and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi said his country’s government defines the routes in the strait, not U.S. Central Command (Centcom).

Centcom released a statement on Wednesday about meeting with military officials, from across the Middle East, including Lebanon and Syria, in Bahrain. The gathering of military officials “underscored their shared commitment to the free flow of commerce through the Strait of Hormuz.”

“Hormuz is defined under Iran’s command, not CENTCOM,” Gharibabadi said in a post on social platform X, translated from Persian. “A military summit in Bahrain cannot establish legal order and security for the Persian Gulf.”

Shipping through the strait has seen a rebound after the U.S. and Iran traded strikes with each other over the weekend, nearly threatening ongoing peace negotiations until both sides paused their firepower. The number of crossings rose to 45 as of Wednesday, up from 34 on Tuesday, according to a report from the maritime tracking firm Kpler.

“Route visibility shifted toward the Omani route, which accounted for 21 crossings, followed by 11 via the Iranian Route and smaller volumes through the Dark/Unknown and [International Maritime Organization],” the report reads.

Reopening the waterway, which transports nearly a fifth of the world’s oil supply, was a core component of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the U.S. and Iran in an attempt to lower gas prices, which soared as a result of the strait’s closure after the war began in late February.

Gas prices have dropped from their high of over $4.50 in May, but President Trump earlier this week called on gas companies to lower their prices further and warned against price gouging, otherwise “big problems lie ahead!”

In a Truth Social post Thursday, Trump acknowledged the difference, but signaled the costs weren’t declining fast enough. He also gave a shout out to one fuel company that has vowed to drop its prices.

Vice President Vance, who led the U.S. delegation in talks with Iranian negotiators after the MOU was signed, also warned that the war could resume if the 60-day ceasefire runs out of time with no peace deal finalized.

“If we’ve got to do more, of course, that’s kind of up to the Iranians,” Vance told reporters after speaking at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Va. “If they try to rebuild their nuclear program, if they try to start shooting at commercial vessels again, that’s going to change our calculus.”

The Associated Press contributed.

Tags

Donald Trump

gas prices

Iran war

JD Vance

Kazem Gharibabadi

MOU

Oman

Strait of Hormuz

U.S. Central Command

U.S.-Iran peace talks

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