WANA (Jun 27) – CNN reported on Saturday that the U.S. Navy’s Joint Maritime Information Center has significantly raised the threat level in the Strait of Hormuz, as tensions continue to grow over shipping routes in the strategic waterway.

 

According to Al Jazeera, the U.S. Navy claimed that a maritime corridor near Oman’s coast in the Strait of Hormuz has been expanded to allow inbound and outbound vessels to transit simultaneously in both directions. The claim came after Oman announced it was working with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to establish a temporary shipping route.

 

In response, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated that the only safe passage for vessels is the designated Iranian route and warned against using alternative channels. Meanwhile, the Persian Gulf Waterway Authority said that ship owners, operators, and captains would bear full responsibility for any consequences resulting from transiting unauthorized routes.

 

Reports also indicate that, following the warnings, more vessels have requested passage through the route designated by Iran. Nevertheless, the U.S. Navy continues to maintain its claim regarding the expansion of the southern corridor near Oman, amid heightened security concerns in the Strait of Hormuz.