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Iran has reportedly blocked an Indian oil tanker from using a temporary maritime corridor along Oman’s coastline in the Strait of Hormuz, directing the vessel to use shipping lanes approved by Tehran instead, according to a report by Al Jazeera, citing Iran’s Fars News Agency.
According to the report, Oman and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) announced on June 24 the establishment of a temporary shipping corridor along Oman’s coast to facilitate the safe passage of commercial vessels stranded in the Persian Gulf. The route is reportedly operating under the overall supervision of the United States.
However, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has opposed the corridor since its inception. Fars News reported that Iranian authorities have been issuing radio warnings to vessels attempting to use the Oman corridor, instructing them to navigate instead through shipping lanes designated and approved by Iran.
Citing ship-tracking data, the report said commercial and cargo vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday morning avoided the Oman corridor and sailed through Iran-approved routes.
The reported incident comes amid heightened tensions in one of the world’s busiest energy transit chokepoints, where a significant share of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments passes each day.
There was no immediate comment from the governments of India or Oman, or from the International Maritime Organization, regarding the reported incident involving the Indian tanker. The report could not be independently verified.
