Iran rejects UN-backed plan to free ships trapped in Strait of Hormuz

Tehran rejects temporary lanes

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has rejected a UN-backed plan to create temporary shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, saying vessels should only use routes already declared by Tehran.

The move sharpens a dispute over one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints at a moment when shipping officials, diplomats and maritime operators are trying to move stranded vessels out of the waterway.

The Guardian reported that the temporary lanes were backed by the International Maritime Organization and Oman and were designed to help move ships that have been trapped in and around the strait, including vessels stuck for months.

In its rejection, the IRGC said alternative routes through the strait were unacceptable and dangerous, and warned that travel outside the communicated routes is prohibited.

How the evacuation effort developed

The plan emerged after officials began looking for a way to clear a large backlog of shipping through a corridor disrupted during the 2026 Iran conflict.

Axios reported on June 23 that the IMO was preparing a large-scale effort to evacuate more than 11,000 stranded sailors from ships in the area, with coordination involving Iran, Oman, the United States and other parties.

That reflected the scale of the problem. The challenge was not only restoring navigation, but also getting crews off vessels safely and keeping traffic moving through an area that had become hazardous.

By June 24, some traffic had begun to improve. The Wall Street Journal reported that crossings through Hormuz reached 70 to 78 that day, the busiest level since the war began, although traffic was still below the prewar daily average.

That increase suggested the route was reopening in practice, even as the rules governing passage remained unsettled.

New risk on the water

The dispute intensified further on June 25, when AP reported that a cargo ship moving through the Strait of Hormuz on a UN-backed route was struck by a projectile.

AP said the vessel was damaged but there were no casualties and no environmental impact was reported.

The Wall Street Journal separately reported that Iran attacked a cargo ship in the strait, describing the strike as a test of the reopening deal.

Together, those reports showed that the temporary corridor was being used while vessels in the area remained exposed to physical danger and political pressure.

Control, leverage and diplomacy

The dispute is also part of broader U.S.-Iran talks over maritime security, sanctions relief and Iran’s nuclear program.

AP reported that the United States and Iran had reached an initial agreement to open the strait, and that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. and Gulf allies would ensure no fees were charged on ships moving through the waterway.

That detail matters because access to the strait is not only a safety issue but also a matter of leverage. Who can authorize transit, and on what terms, has become central to the reopening process.

The Guardian reported that Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf said the strait would never return to how it was before the war, reinforcing the view that Tehran wants to retain a decisive role in how navigation is managed.

Why Hormuz matters

The Strait of Hormuz is a critical chokepoint for global oil and gas shipments, so disruption there can quickly affect shipping insurers, energy markets and companies that depend on predictable transit.

The current crisis has left some ships stranded and has pushed maritime risk higher across the region.

Oman and the IMO have been trying to establish temporary lanes while longer-term administration of navigation through the strait is still being discussed.

That makes the current standoff bigger than a single transit dispute. It is also about which rules will govern one of the most sensitive maritime corridors in the world after conflict.

What happens next

The immediate question is whether ships keep using the UN-backed corridor after Iran’s rejection, or whether Tehran acts on its warning against outside-route travel.

Officials are also watching for any formal follow-up from the IMO, Oman, Iran or the United States, and for signs that more vessels are struck, threatened or turned back.

The number of ships still stranded in the area remains unclear, but the backlog is large enough that the evacuation effort will take time even if passage continues.

For now, the reopening effort is being shaped by a narrow mix of military pressure, diplomatic bargaining and maritime risk, with the Strait of Hormuz still far from normal.