Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz near the beach of Bandar Abbas, Iran, June 21, 2026. Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA/via WANA (West Asia News Agency)via REUTERS
By Patrick Sykes (Bloomberg) — Iran said a foreign container ship ran aground while sailing through the Strait of Hormuz via an “unauthorized” route, repeating its warning that vessels should only transit the waterway in coordination with the Islamic Republic.
The state TV report didn’t identify the vessel by name or specify where the incident took place.
“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy has repeatedly warned ship captains, owners and officials of global shipping companies that any entry or exit via routes other than the authorized one in the Persian Gulf could lead to irreparable consequences,” the report said.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre, which monitors security in the region, hadn’t reported any incidents around the strait as of 10:30 a.m. UK time on Wednesday.
Iran has sought to control shipping traffic through the waterway since the start of the war with the US and Israel in late February, demanding fees from ships seeking to transit and ordering them to use a route that’s closer to its shore.
Traffic has jumped since Washington and Tehran signed a provisional peace deal last month, but Iran has signaled it intends to maintain control over shipping through the strait.
© 2026 Bloomberg L.P.
This article contains reporting from Bloomberg, published under license.
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Iran has begun talks with Japanese companies under a U.S. sanctions waiver allowing it to resume oil sales, though prospective buyers are seeking a longer waiver and reassurances about ship safety, three Iranian and Western sources said.
China called for the unhindered flow of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, comments that come as leading European powers are apparently accepting that vessels will have to pay fees to Iran and Oman.
Commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has surged over the past few weeks, with American military support helping boost oil flows to more than 10 million barrels per day, a US official said.
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