IMO Council Rejects Iran's Bid to Control Hormuz Traffic

IMO Council Condemns Hormuz Control Claim

The International Maritime Organization’s governing council has called on countries to reject Iran’s attempt to assert control over shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, according to a Reuters report published by gCaptain. The non-binding decision, reached during a council session in London, followed a week of hostilities between the United States and Iran, including U.S. military airstrikes and attacks on commercial vessels that Washington attributed to Tehran.

The IMO, which regulates international shipping safety, security and pollution prevention among its 176 member states, convened its 40-member governing council this week specifically to address the protection of vital shipping lanes. Gulf states, the United States and Iran reportedly clashed over the strait’s future during the discussions.

No Recognition of Sovereignty Claim

According to the text of the council decision, the IMO “strongly condemned” Iran’s move to establish an entity intended to control traffic through the strait. The council called on member states not to recognize Iran’s sovereignty claim over the waterway, nor its assertions of jurisdiction over maritime zones belonging to third states, which it said violated those states’ sovereignty and jurisdiction. The decision also urged countries not to recognize any Iranian measures aimed at closing, obstructing or otherwise interfering with international navigation and the right of transit passage.

The dispute traces back to Iran’s newly formed Persian Gulf Strait Authority, which issued an advisory in June stating that no vessel could transit the strait without a valid passage permit from the body.

Iran Rejects Allegations

Iran, which does not hold a seat on the IMO Council, told delegates it rejected what it called “selective, politically motivated and legally unfounded allegations.” Tehran’s delegation noted that Iran was not a party to the UNCLOS convention and therefore was not bound by its treaty-based regime.

The delegation added that its measures were meant to uphold maritime safety and security, prevent support for acts of aggression, and safeguard Iran’s sovereignty and security interests, while insisting these steps did not amount to closing the strait.

The episode underscores the fragility of an interim truce meant to end more than four months of conflict between the U.S. and Iran, as both sides continue working toward a lasting agreement while shipping through one of the world’s most critical chokepoints remains in question.