On May 6, the Navy of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) released a statement declaring that the Strait of Hormuz would be safe for passage after U.S. threats cease and new procedures are established. The statement, posted on social media platform X, did not specify what the new procedures entail, but thanked shipowners and captains for respecting Iranian regulations while transiting the strait.
The announcement came one day after U.S. President Donald Trump decided to pause the military operation “Project Freedom,” which had been guiding stranded ships through the waterway. Trump said the halt was driven by “major progress” toward a comprehensive deal with Iran and at the request of Pakistan’s mediation, though he stressed that the U.S. naval blockade at Hormuz remains in effect.
Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam, commented on the pause in Persian: “Whoever tries to do what has been done before will regret it,” and in English: “Once bitten, twice shy.” Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who has been mediating between Tehran and Washington, expressed gratitude for Trump’s decision to suspend the operation, saying it would “help promote peace, stability and regional reconciliation at this sensitive time.”
Iran began blocking the strait on February 28 after the U.S. and Israel initiated hostilities, including attacks on vessels, laying underwater mines, and collecting safe-passage fees. Iran’s establishment on May 5 of the “Persian Gulf Strait Authority” to regulate and organize military and commercial shipping is seen as an effort to permanently alter the status of the waterway. Al Jazeera correspondent Resul Serdar Atas in Tehran noted: “The Iranians say this is not a temporary new maritime regime; they talk about a permanent change and they will not give it up.”
In a related development, on May 6, French shipping giant CMA CGM reported that its vessel San Antonio was attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, injuring crew members and damaging the ship. The wounded were evacuated and received medical care. French government spokesperson Maud Bregeon stated that France was not the target of the attack. CMA CGM, the world’s third-largest container shipping line, said 14 of its vessels were stuck in the Gulf at the outbreak of the U.S.-Israel war against Iran.
The prolonged disruption at Hormuz has severely affected Gulf economies. According to Al Jazeera, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states lose approximately $700 million per day due to the inability to transport oil, halting roughly 20% of global crude trade through the channel.
