The Liberian oil tanker Stoic Warrior transited the Strait of Hormuz early Thursday using a new route close to Oman’s shore, after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard threatened shipping and reported mines in the water. The movement came as U.S.-Iran talks entered a 60
Early Thursday morning, the Liberian oil tanker Stoic Warrior left the coast of the United Arab Emirates and headed for Oman—an unambiguous signal that it intended to push through the Strait of Hormuz despite Iran’s warnings.
The ship’s route took it around Oman’s Musandam Peninsula fairly close to the shore. following a path promoted by the International Maritime Organization. a United Nations agency that oversees shipping at sea. For decades. most vessels have transited through the Traffic Separation Scheme in the middle of the strait. where ships have moved freely.
The difference this time was the backdrop. The Revolutionary Guard had threatened to disrupt shipping, and there was also the report of at least one mine sighted in the water after the Guard said it mined the passage during the war that started on Feb. 28 with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.
The threat of mines shut off the older, central route—yet the Stoic Warrior still passed. North of Oman’s coastal line. the Traffic Separation Scheme remained the well-known channel used by transport of about a fifth of all the world’s oil and natural gas. But the tanker chose the shoreline approach, close to where Oman said it would guide vessels.
As it transited, there were no immediate reports of incidents in the strait. Several ships trailed behind the Stoic Warrior, according to ship-tracking data.
The shipping picture is also shifting beyond one vessel. Even before the interim U.S.-Iran accord, some ships had been getting out of the strait with U.S. military support. But on Thursday, Maersk said its container ship Maersk Baltimore and another chartered vessel also made it out of the strait.
The Revolutionary Guard’s response was immediate and blunt, carried by Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency. It said that. a few hours earlier and without notice or coordination with Iran. some authorities announced a new route for ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz—calling it unacceptable and completely dangerous.
Iran’s naval force declared that the only authorized route for passing through the Strait of Hormuz is the one declared by the Islamic Republic of Iran. adding that vessel traffic outside those routes is extremely dangerous and prohibited. It warned that violators would be dealt with, without elaborating.
U.S.-Iran talks under a 60-day clock
The tanker’s movement is taking place as tensions rise between Iran and the United States over the terms of their interim accord aimed at permanently ending the Iran war. That deal was signed last week, and through the signing of the memorandum of understanding, the U.S. and Iran agreed to a 60-day period to iron out the details.
Until those private talks are settled—while leaders continue negotiating in public—the risk of derailing the shaky ceasefire in the region remains high.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in the region making sure Gulf Arab officials feel their interests are not being left behind. On Thursday. he spoke with foreign ministers from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council in Bahrain. the island kingdom in the Persian Gulf that is home to the Navy’s 5th Fleet.
Rubio told the GCC ministers that throughout the negotiating process, “the interest of our partners and our allies in the region are always taken into account.” He said there is “no part in this deal” that undermines the security, stability, or prosperity of Gulf partners.
The GCC countries have expressed reservations about the limitation of the U.S.-Iran deal signed last week. Their concerns include conflicting claims over the strait and the fact that the memorandum of understanding does not specifically cover Iran’s nuclear or ballistic missile programs.
Thursday’s meeting in Manama came ahead of an expected meeting in Oman between the GCC and Iran to discuss maritime security and safety in the strait.
Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani, speaking on behalf of the GCC, thanked the U.S. for its support. He said that “today we see a glimmer of hope for our region. ” while stressing that Iran must comply with its commitments. “While this progress is encouraging, it is critically important that Iran adheres to its obligations,” al-Zayani said.
Emirati warning to Iran
The pressure is not only diplomatic. Anwar Gargash, a senior Emirati diplomat, warned Iran on Thursday over trying to impede the strait or put fees on vessels plying its waters.
He wrote on X that “New geopolitical facts cannot be imposed on the Arab Gulf states as a result of a treacherous aggression against them,” adding that it “sows new seeds of discord and conflict for the future” and that the statement “precisely” applies to the Strait of Hormuz.
A flareup in Lebanon adds fuel
The fragility of the wider situation has been tested by events far from the waterline. Fighting in Lebanon between Israel and the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah has threatened the deal.
Israel launched an airstrike on Wednesday in southern Lebanon that killed two people, according to the country’s state-run news agency. The strike was Israel’s first airstrike on Lebanon since the latest ceasefire took effect on Saturday.
Israel’s military said on Thursday that a reservist soldier was killed and another hurt in southern Lebanon. where troops are occupying swaths of the country. At least 37 soldiers have been killed in Lebanon or northern Israel during the fighting, as well one civilian defense contractor. Two civilians in northern Israel have also been killed.
More than 4,000 people in Lebanon have been killed in Israeli strikes since this latest Israel-Hezbollah war began in March. The start date lines up with the broader escalation: two days after the Iran war started, when Hezbollah fired at Israel.
In the strait, the sequence now appears to be straightforward—until it isn’t. The Stoic Warrior passed using a United Nations-backed shoreline route close to Oman’s shore. even as Iran’s Revolutionary Guard insisted the only authorized path is the one it declared and warned that anything outside it is prohibited and “extremely dangerous.”.
Strait of Hormuz Stoic Warrior Revolutionary Guard IMO Oman route Maersk Baltimore U.S.-Iran interim accord Marco Rubio GCC Bahrain Lebanon Hezbollah mine threat