Iran threatens 'legal action' against South Korean shipping company in Strait of Hormuz

Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority, a body set up by Tehran to manage passage requests in the Strait of Hormuz, said on Tuesday that all vessels belonging to South Korean shipping company Sinokor would face "legal action" starting on November 1.Tehran has sought to tighten its grip on the strategic waterway by attacking shipping there since ​US and Israeli ⁠airstrikes on Iran on February 28.It has restricted transit to gain leverage over Washington while disrupting oil flows from Arab Gulf producers, especially to customers in Asia.The authority said on X/Twitter that Sinokor vessels had committed the most crossing violations in the strait over the past three months, and that it had taken "appropriate actions" against at least seven of them.Sinokor did not immediately comment on the authority's statement.Ships owned by Sinokor were previously included on a list issued by Iran in August of 45 tankers that it said had broken its rules for crossing the Strait of Hormuz.US imposes naval blockade against Iran-linked shipsIn response to Iranian attacks, the United States also imposed a naval blockade ​against ships linked to the Islamic Republic in the strait.While the blockade has all but choked off Iranian exports, Gulf producers have adapted to attacks on shipping by relying on so-called dark transits, switching off tankers' tracking systems to evade detection, to protect the oil flows that underpin their economies.