“With new protocols in place, safe, stable passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be ensured.” That was the message the Navy of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps posted on social media on May 6, 2026. It did not say what the new protocols were.
The statement came a day after President Donald Trump suspended Project Freedom, the U.S. effort to escort stuck ships out of the waterway. Trump said he had paused it at the request of Pakistan and other countries acting as go-betweens, and pointed to “great progress” in talks with Iran. The American naval blockade stays in place, he added, according to Al Jazeera.
What the IRGC said
The IRGC post thanked ship operators for “respecting Iranian regulations when moving through the strait.” Beyond that, no detail. Al Jazeera noted that the statement gave no description of the procedures themselves.
Iranian state media filled in some of the picture. A new body, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, had set up a website, and vessels were to get transit rules by email from [email protected]. Ships “are required to adjust their operations according to this framework and obtain a transit permit before crossing the Strait of Hormuz,” the reporting said, as relayed by Riviera Maritime Media. The IRGC Navy put the number of vessels waiting for permission at approximately 1,500.
Al Jazeera read the creation of the authority as a sign that Tehran wants lasting control over the strait rather than a short-term arrangement. Iran began restricting traffic after U.S.-Israeli military action started on February 28, with blockades, mine-laying and transit fees.
The cost of a closed strait
Roughly 20 percent of worldwide oil trade has been halted, and hundreds of vessels are stuck, Al Jazeera reported. It cited a Goldman Sachs estimate that Gulf Cooperation Council states lose approximately $700 million a day. General Dan Caine, for the U.S. side, said 22,500 commercial mariners remained trapped.
The security picture was not calm. The Royal Navy’s UK Maritime Trade Operations Center confirmed a strike on a cargo vessel in the strait on the evening of May 5, hours before Iran’s announcement.
The shipping industry reacted with surprise to the American pause. BIMCO’s chief safety officer, Jakob Larsen, said “transits without coordination with Iran entailed significant risk.”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said Tehran was studying a U.S. proposal and would reply through Pakistan. Trump warned on Truth Social that if Iran did not agree, “the bombing starts.”
Sources
- Iran says Strait of Hormuz passage to be ensured after US pauses operation
- Iran says safe transit of Strait of Hormuz 'will be ensured' as Trump pauses operations, teases deal
