IRGC warns ships must exclusively use designated routes in Hormuz Strait

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has warned ships seeking to pass the Strait of Hormuz to exclusively use routes designated by Iran as safe.

The IRGC said in a Tuesday statement that it would deal decisively with ships avoiding the Iranian-designated corridors and sailing through other parts of the Strait of Hormuz.

“Any deviation by vessels to other routes will be unsafe and will be met with a decisive response from the IRGC Navy,” said the statement.

“…the only safe route for passing through the Strait of Hormuz is the corridor previously announced by Iran.”

The warning came a day after Iranian and US naval forces exchanged fire near the Strait of Hormuz, after US President Donald Trump announced he had ordered an operation to break restrictions imposed by Iran on cargo transit via the Strait of Hormuz.

Several ships and other port facilities were hit during the exchange of fire, while both sides claimed they had successfully defended their military positions in the Persian Gulf.

However, experts have warned that US interference with the status quo in the Strait, which has been in place since the early days of the US-Israeli aggression against Iran in early March, would seriously escalate the situation, prompting a resumption of military confrontation that was halted as part of a ceasefire reached in early April.

The IRGC on Tuesday refuted US claims that two ships bearing American flags had passed the Strait of Hormuz on the first day of Washington’s renewed effort to open the waterway, which is responsible for a fifth of global oil demand.

Iran has allowed a limited number of ships to pass the Strait over the past weeks, and the transit has happened through two entry and exit lanes designated by Iran as safe.

The corridors are located in the northernmost part of the Strait near the island of Larak, with authorities warning that other parts of the Strait may be laden with mines.

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