Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz is no longer just a threat or a bargaining chip. New reporting shows Tehran is now operating something closer to a clearance system for ships trying to leave or enter the Gulf, with island checkpoints, government-to-government coordination, vetting, and in some cases fees tied to safe passage.
According to Reuters, the tanker Agios Fanourios I, carrying Iraqi crude bound for Vietnam, crossed the Strait of Hormuz on May 10 after a direct arrangement with Iran overseen by Iraq’s prime minister. Reuters reported that the vessel followed a route designated by Iran, moved between island checkpoints, was stopped by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps speedboats near Hormuz Island, and eventually received authorization to continue.
The passage was not quick. Reuters said what would normally be a roughly five-hour transit became a two-day ordeal. The ship’s manager said no payment was made, and Reuters reported that people familiar with the trip believed pressure from Iraq and Vietnam helped secure the transit.
The bigger development is the mechanism behind that one tanker. Reuters, citing interviews with 20 people, Iranian documents, and shipping movements, reported that Iran has built a multi-tiered process for clearing vessels through the strait. That process can include official arrangements between governments, vetting by Iranian authorities, and sometimes fees in exchange for safe passage.
Iran says ships are moving under its coordination
Iran is also publicly presenting that system as active. Devdiscourse, citing a syndicated feed, reported Wednesday that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards navy said 26 vessels, including oil tankers, container ships, and other commercial ships, had transited the Strait of Hormuz in the previous 24 hours in coordination with Iran. The IRGC navy said permits had been obtained and coordination had been carried out with the force.
That language matters. It is a shift from Iran merely threatening to close Hormuz or impose tolls. Tehran is now describing commercial movement through one of the world’s most important oil chokepoints as something that happens with Iranian permission.
The same pattern appeared in South Korea’s case. The Korea Times reported that a Korean crude carrier, Universal Winner, passed through the strait Wednesday after coordination between Seoul and Tehran. South Korea’s foreign ministry said Iran told the Korean Embassy in Tehran that one Korean vessel would be allowed to transit, and Seoul relayed the message to HMM, the ship’s owner.
The Korea Times reported that about 10 Korean crew members were aboard the tanker and that the ship was carrying crude oil bound for Ulsan. A South Korean official said neither the government nor the company paid Iran, and Seoul did not view the transit as sanctionable because it was seeking safe passage rather than negotiating a commercial arrangement.
Why this is a new phase of the Hormuz crisis
List25 has already covered the recent movement of Chinese-linked supertankers and the broader toll-and-fee threats around Hormuz. This is different. The fresh angle is operational control: Reuters is now describing how Iran’s clearance process works in practice, while South Korea and Iranian state-linked reporting show that ships are moving through the strait under direct coordination with Tehran.
For Washington, that is a serious problem. The United States has warned against complying with Iranian controls, but shipowners and governments are facing a brutal calculation: wait indefinitely with cargo and crews trapped in the Gulf, or coordinate with Iran and risk political, sanctions, or security consequences.
For energy markets, the risk is just as clear. Hormuz handles about a fifth of global oil supply. If transit increasingly depends on Iranian approval, diplomatic channels, and case-by-case clearance, the crisis is no longer just about whether the strait is open or closed. It is about who controls the gate.
That gives Iran leverage even if ships continue moving. A partially open Hormuz, managed through Iranian checkpoints and permits, can still raise costs, slow cargoes, pressure governments, and force companies to choose between U.S. warnings and the practical need to move fuel.
The immediate question is whether the Agios Fanourios I and Universal Winner are exceptions or the start of a new normal. If more ships pass only after direct coordination with Tehran, Iran will have turned the world’s most important energy chokepoint into a controlled transit corridor without formally closing it.