Iran has stated that it will allow no more than ten vessels per day to transit through the Strait of Hormuz as part of ceasefire arrangements with the United States. This was reported by The Wall Street Journal, citing sources familiar with the negotiations.
According to the newspaper, this condition was conveyed to mediators as part of the agreement under discussion. At the same time, Iranian naval forces warned ships in the area that passage would only be permitted after obtaining authorization from Tehran. In radio exchanges obtained by journalists, naval representatives stated that any vessel attempting to cross the strait without permission would be destroyed.
Earlier, Financial Times reported that Iran is considering charging a fee for passage, set at one dollar per barrel of oil transported, with payments potentially made in cryptocurrency.
According to S&P Global Market Intelligence, only four vessels were allowed to pass through the strait on April 8. By comparison, before the outbreak of the conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, more than 100 vessels transited the waterway daily.
Iran suspended tanker traffic following Israeli strikes on Hezbollah-linked targets in Lebanon. Since then, navigation in the area has remained heavily restricted. As noted by the WSJ, Tehran has already imposed transit fees of up to $1 million per vessel in recent weeks. Around 250 ships are reported to have accepted these terms. The traffic has primarily consisted of Iranian vessels and tankers associated with the so-called “shadow fleet.”
Currently, more than 425 oil and fuel tankers are waiting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, along with nearly 20 vessels carrying liquefied natural gas.
The Strait of Hormuz remains a critical artery of the global energy system: approximately 20% of the world’s oil flows pass through it, including exports from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Kuwait. It is also a key route for liquefied natural gas shipments to Asia, particularly to China, India, and Japan. The reopening of the strait was one of the conditions of the temporary ceasefire between Washington and Tehran, but the current restrictions indicate that Iran is maintaining tight control over navigation in the region.
