Iran Warns Ships From US Sanctions Backers Won’t Be Allowed Through Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s military said ships from countries backing US sanctions against Tehran would not be allowed through the Strait of Hormuz, framing the move as an exercise of Iranian sovereignty.

Mohammad Akraminia, a spokesman for the Iranian army, told the state-run IRAN news agency in an interview cited by TASS on May 10 that countries following the US lead in imposing sanctions on Iran would “without doubt” face difficulties transiting the strait.

Al Jazeera

The warning came as Washington waited for Tehran’s response to a proposal to end the war, reopen the strait to shipping, and roll back Iran’s nuclear programme, with a Qatari natural gas tanker crossing the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday for the first time since the start of the Iran war.

QatarEnergy-operated carrier Al Kharaitiyat passed safely through the strait and was heading for Pakistan’s Port Qasim, according to data from shipping analytics firm Kpler.

Iranian authorities said vessels from countries that follow US sanctions against Iran would face problems crossing the Strait, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency on Sunday.

As Iran warned about sanctions-linked transit, a commercial cargo vessel coming from Abu Dhabi was struck by a drone on Sunday morning off the coast of Doha, the Qatari Defense Ministry confirmed in an afternoon statement.

The ministry said the incident sparked a small fire that was extinguished, and after the fire was put out the ship continued its journey toward Mesaieed Port to dock, with no injuries reported.

Al Jazeera

Shortly after the strike, Iranian Army Spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia told Iran's Tasnim news agency that vessels from countries that comply with US sanctions against Iran would face difficulties crossing the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian lawmakers said they are drafting a bill to formalize Iran's management of the Strait of Hormuz, with clauses including forbidding passage to vessels of "hostile states."

The same day, Kuwait detected several hostile drones in its airspace early on Sunday, authorities said, while the Qatari LNG carrier Al Kharaitiyat moved toward Pakistan’s Port Qasim.

Washington’s latest push for talks hinges on the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear programme, with the US continuing to wait for Iran’s response to its proposal to end the war before discussions on more contentious issues.

Al Jazeera reported that the US expected the Iranian government to respond by Friday, but Tehran said it is still reviewing the offer and insists any agreement must be “fair and comprehensive”.

The same Al Jazeera report said the US proposal requires Iran to end its nuclear programme for at least 12 years and open the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global crude oil and gas passes.

It also described Iranian negotiators’ concerns about “every date and word in that text,” and said multiple Iranian power centres must approve any response before it is sent.

In parallel, the Wall Street Journal cited an internal U.S. State Department cable urging other countries to join a new international coalition, stating that “Your participation will strengthen our collective ability to restore freedom of navigation” and impose meaningful costs on Iran.