US-led maritime center: southern route of Strait of Hormuz stays open despite Iran's closure announcement

The U.S.-led Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) said on Sunday, July 12, 2026, that despite the Revolutionary Guards' announcement that the Strait of Hormuz was closed, the strait's southern route along the Omani coast remains open and has been expanded to handle two-way vessel traffic. The same advisory kept the maritime security threat level in the strait at "severe".

U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) said the Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway not subject to the control of any single nation, and that U.S. forces are prepared to preserve freedom of navigation. Under an earlier memorandum between Washington and Tehran, two transit corridors had emerged: a northern route controlled by Iran and a southern route along the Omani coast where the U.S. provides navigation support.

Around 20 percent of the world's oil and gas passes through the Strait of Hormuz, so keeping it open matters for the region's energy exports and, through them, for Iran's currency and gold markets.