IMO Council Rejects Iran's Claim to Control the Strait of Hormuz

The International Maritime Organization's governing Council, a United Nations body, strongly condemned Iran on Friday, July 10, 2026, for creating a "Persian Gulf Strait Authority" that requires ships to obtain a "valid passage permit" before transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The Council called on member states not to recognize Iran's claimed sovereignty or jurisdiction over the strait, or any Iranian action to restrict or obstruct the internationally recognized right of transit passage. Iran, which does not hold a Council seat, rejected the decision as "selective, politically motivated and legally unfounded" and said it is not bound by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. This is the first formal multilateral rebuke of Iran's Hormuz control claim by an international body, and could reinforce the legal basis for global shippers to disregard Iran's permit regime, a dynamic that has already pushed war risk insurance premiums for the strait higher.