Iran warns tankers: use approved Strait of Hormuz routes or face a forceful response

Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the joint command of the armed forces, warned on Thursday, 23 July 2026, in a statement carried by Iranian state television, that all oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz must use the Islamic Republic's designated routes. Any failure to comply, deviation from the route, or disregard for Iran's navigation protocols would be met with an "immediate and forceful response from the armed forces," endangering the security of the violating vessel, the statement said, while any interference by US forces would draw a "rapid and decisive reaction."

The warning came a day after Iranian and US diplomats met mediators in Qatar, and after the US Central Command, at a meeting in Bahrain, stressed the "free flow of commerce" through the strait. Tehran insists it must control the vessels' routes and later charge fees for passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a departure from decades of practice in the waterway. Under the June interim deal, ships were to pass without charge for 60 days. The fate of the waterway matters directly to Iranian markets, since renewed risk keeps a high premium on oil, gold and the currency.