Amid the US-Iran clashes, which began early this year, Iran is formulating a new framework in the maritime sector. Under the new system, ships going to pass through the Strait of Hormuz reportedly started receiving instructions electronically from the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA). Ships will also start receiving navigation routes and information on transit conditions, as per Business World.
The introduction of the latest PGSA framework by Iran, which it declared as a “sovereign governance system” over the passage, comes during a time when the US looks to assert its dominance by stationing warships in the region, following the collapse of the ceasefire agreement.
Iranian state channel Press TV further reported that a new legislation is being planned that would restrict Israeli and US vessels from passing through the Strait.
An increase in the monitoring of movement through the Strait is also being ensured by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy, which has warned Commercial ships to remain within a “designated maritime border”. Any deviation from these rules could lead to military action.
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According to reports, 800–2500 ships with 20,000 crew members onboard are currently present in the Strait waiting to travel out of the waterway.
The US is trying to help ships in the area navigate out of it, even though the Iranian Government had announced not to move without their permission.
A vessel named 'Alliance Fairfax', operated by Farrell Lines, a unit of Maersk, was one of the ships that transited the area with US assistance. This mission is being conducted by the US Navy under “Project Freedom”.
The US Central Command stated that the US Navy shot down missiles, drones and six speedboats that were launched to attack the vessels, which were being escorted by the US Navy ships in the Strait.
This demonstration of control is proving detrimental not only to the US and Israel, whose ships Israel has pledged will experience restricted movement, but also to other countries in Asia, where 82 per cent of crude that transits the Strait of Hormuz reaches.
For India, the blockade of ships has caused commercial LNG prices to increase as India imports a large proportion of its national gas from the region.
