Iran’s powerful theocratic guard, the IRGC has deployed special forces along the country’s Persian Gulf coastline to monitor shipping movements through the Strait of Hormuz and identify vessels using a southern route backed by Oman and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), according to Iran International.
According to the outlet’s sources, the deployment forms part of a broader effort by Tehran to strengthen surveillance and enforcement capabilities in the strategically vital waterway as negotiations with the US continue over its future administration.
According to the sources, IRGC units equipped with land-based observation posts, naval surveillance assets and aerial reconnaissance systems have been tasked with identifying vessels intending to use the Oman-side route before they enter the strait. The forces are also reportedly seeking access to shipping schedules and coordination data through contacts and sources in Oman in order to obtain advance notice of vessel movements.
The operation comes amid Washington and Tehran’s attempts to preserve the fragile de-escalation agreement reached after several rounds of military exchanges in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
Talks mediated by Oman are expected to continue in Doha, focusing on unresolved disputes surrounding navigation, security and management of the waterway.
Despite the ongoing negotiations, sources said Tehran is simultaneously reinforcing its ability to monitor and challenge vessels that do not use routes approved by Iranian authorities.
The IRGC has repeatedly insisted that only routes designated by the Islamic Republic are authorised for transit through the Strait of Hormuz. It has warned commercial vessels against using the southern corridor near Oman’s coastline, a route promoted by Muscat and the IMO following disruptions caused by the conflict.
The paramilitary group had struck a Singapore-flagged cargo vessel travelling near Omani waters on June 25, in an attack which damaged the ship’s bridge but caused no casualties, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations centre. The attack occurred hours after the IRGC Navy warned against the use of unauthorised routes.
Washington subsequently launched strikes against Iranian missile, drone and coastal radar facilities, prompting retaliatory attacks by the IRGC against American positions in the region.
Tehran later argued that arrangements governing traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell under its authority under provisions of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding that has currently put the conflict on hold.
The current situation has effectively created three competing transit corridors through the strait.
The traditional central route, based on the traffic separation scheme established by the IMO in 1968, remains largely unusable because of naval mines laid during the war. Under the memorandum ending the war, Iran agreed to clear those mines within 30 days.
As a result, most shipping now uses either a northern route close to Iran’s coastline or a southern route near Oman. Iranian authorities have instructed vessels to use routes south of Larak Island and have warned against alternative corridors.
The competing claims reflect a wider disagreement over the future governance of the waterway.
Iranian officials argue that Iran and Oman possess joint sovereignty over the strait and have indicated that, once the 60-day transitional period established under the memorandum expires, the two countries could jointly manage maritime traffic and potentially impose service fees on vessels.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who heads Iran’s negotiating team, recently stated that management of the Strait of Hormuz would not return to its pre-war framework and suggested that a fee-based system similar to that used in the Dardanelles could be considered.
Oman has publicly distanced itself from that proposal. Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi has stated that any future mechanism governing the strait would not involve transit tolls.
The US has flat out rejected Iran’s position, maintaining that the Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway and that any long-term arrangement would require the consent of Gulf states and the wider international community.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi has previously warned that safe navigation through the strait cannot be guaranteed without coordination with Tehran and suggested that transit arrangements could be suspended if such coordination is not respected.
Despite the ceasefire agreement signed two weeks ago, shipping activity remains well below normal levels.
Traffic through the strait reached around 70 vessel transits on June 24, the highest figure recorded since the outbreak of the conflict. Before the war, approximately 130 vessels passed through the waterway each day.
The International Maritime Organisation has reported that 14 seafarers have been killed since the crisis began. It also temporarily suspended efforts to evacuate around 11,000 sailors and hundreds of vessels stranded in the region following the attack on the Singapore-flagged ship.
Nevertheless, vessel-tracking data indicates that ships continue to use the southern corridor despite Iranian warnings. The US-backed Joint Maritime Information Center has stated that the route near Oman’s coastline is being expanded to facilitate two-way traffic.
