Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz remains under Tehran’s exclusive management, warning that international attempts to bypass the waterway will trigger further regional conflict. Despite the global community classifying the strategic corridor as an international strait, the narrow passage is legally swallowed by the overlapping territorial waters of Iran and Oman. Leveraging a loophole over “Transit Passage” versus “Innocent Passage” standards, Tehran has established the Persian Gulf Strait Authority to enforce a 30-day oversight window. This aggressive posturing aims to cement Iran as the permanent gatekeeper of the Gulf, securing immense leverage over the United States as both nations navigate the fragile 60-day Islamabad MoU peace framework.
BAGHDAD – June 28, 2026 (STL.News) — Here we go again! Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz remains under the “total oversight and management” of Tehran, delivering a sharp warning that any international attempts to bypass or alter agreed maritime routes will dramatically escalate Middle East volatility.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Baghdad alongside his Iraqi counterpart, Araghchi asserted that Iran will control the strategic energy corridor for at least the next 30 days as negotiators attempt to implement a highly fragile, U.S.-backed interim peace framework.
“We should reach a new framework that includes all countries in the region and without the presence or interference of any country from outside the region,” Araghchi stated, insisting that bringing maritime traffic back to pre-war levels lies solely with Tehran.
The assertive rhetoric comes amid a perilous 48-hour sequence of kinetic exchanges that have threatened to derail the newly minted ceasefire. Following a June 25 Iranian drone strike on a Singapore-flagged cargo ship navigating an alternative route on the southern side of the strait, U.S. forces launched heavy retaliatory strikes Saturday against four Iranian missile, drone, and surveillance facilities along the strait and on Qeshm Island. U.S. President Donald Trump warned on social media that the U.S. could be forced to militarily “complete the job,” stating that if that happens, “the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist.”
Iran quickly retaliated Sunday morning, launching drone and missile salvos targeting Gulf locations hosting U.S. military assets, triggering air defense interceptions over Kuwait and Bahrain.
The Legal Disconnect: Territorial Waters vs. International Strait
The escalating crisis highlights a fundamental, long-standing dispute over international maritime law. Geographically, the Strait of Hormuz is not high seas (international waters). Because the strait narrows to just 21 nautical miles at its tightest choke point, it is completely swallowed up by the overlapping 12-nautical-mile territorial seas of Iran and Oman.
However, under global maritime law, it is classified as an international strait. This means that even though the water itself belongs to the coastal states, the rest of the world retains a legal right to transit through it to access the Persian Gulf. The current “lawfare” battle boils down to which legal framework applies:
-
The U.S. Position (Transit Passage): The U.S. and most global powers rely on the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). UNCLOS dictates that international straits are subject to “Transit Passage,” meaning foreign ships and aircraft have an absolute, unimpeded right to cross continuously and quickly. Under these rules, coastal states cannot suspend traffic, interfere with, or charge fees.
-
The Iranian Position (Innocent Passage): Iran has signed but never ratified UNCLOS. Because the U.S. is also not a party to UNCLOS, Tehran argues that UNCLOS rules do not apply between them. Instead, Iran relies on the 1958 Geneva Convention, which only guarantees “Innocent Passage.” Under this standard, Iran claims broad discretion to alter routes or block any vessel it deems a threat to its security, to view vessels outside international routing schemes as non-innocent, and to mandate that all ships seek explicit permission to pass.
Why Iran is Creating the Blockade
Tehran’s aggressive posturing and its newly established Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA)—founded on May 5, 2026, to regulate traffic—are designed to achieve several critical geopolitical and financial goals:
-
Establishing a New Normal: Iran refuses to return to the pre-war status quo. By forcing commercial vessels to register with the PGSA and use specific, Iranian-supervised channels rather than safer alternative routes along the Omani coast, Tehran is attempting to establish a permanent historical precedent recognizing Iran as the permanent gatekeeper of the Gulf.
-
Leverage Over the Islamabad MoU: The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed on June 17, established an extendable 60-day clock to end hostilities, return international inspectors to bombed sites, and lift U.S. sanctions. By choking or loosening its grip on the strait during this 30-day window, Iran maintains massive leverage over the U.S. Treasury’s implementation of General License X, which authorizes the sale of Iranian energy products and the unfreezing of $24 billion in restricted assets.
-
Creating a Regulatory Toll Booth: Tehran has quietly published regulations reserving the right to enforce compliance penalties and introduce “insurance fees” or safety inspection costs for transit. It is an attempt to legally monetize a global choke point that handles roughly 20% of the world’s petroleum liquids under the guise of “managing navigational services.”
