This file photo taken on Feb. 19, 2025 shows the Strait of Hormuz. (Xinhua/Wang Qiang)
TEHRAN, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Iran has launched a new system to control ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, state media reported Tuesday, continuing a maritime standoff that now involves a U.S. blockade and threats of military action.
Under the new rules, all ships planning to pass through the narrow waterway must receive permission via email from Iranian authorities, according to state-run Press TV. Iran is calling the initiative a "sovereign governance system."
Ships would be required to adjust their operations accordingly and obtain permission before entering the waterway, Press TV reported. It described the initiative as a "sovereign governance system" now in effect in the strategic chokepoint.
Iran has tightened its approach to the Strait of Hormuz since Feb. 28, when it said it would deny safe passage to vessels linked to Israel and the United States following joint strikes on Iranian territory.
People attend a funeral ceremony for Alireza Tangsiri, chief commander of the IRGC Navy, and other armed forces personnel killed in U.S. and Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, on April 1, 2026. (Xinhua/Shadati)
Iran's parliament is also considering legislation that would formalize restrictions on vessels tied to Israel and the United States and introduce a toll system for other ships deemed non-hostile.
The claims come amid heightened tensions over the waterway. The United States has also imposed restrictions affecting ships traveling to and from Iranian ports following unsuccessful post-ceasefire negotiations with Tehran in Islamabad on April 11 and 12.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that the United States would begin escorting ships out of the Strait of Hormuz starting Monday morning under what he called "Project Freedom," describing it as a humanitarian measure.
In response, Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the country's joint military command, warned in a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency that "any foreign armed forces, especially the aggressive U.S. army, will be attacked if they intend to approach and enter the Strait of Hormuz." ■
