Iranian forces fired warning shots at four vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian media cited by multiple outlets, adding a direct shipping-enforcement flashpoint to an already fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire.
Middle East Eye reported that Iran’s Mehr news agency said the vessels were attempting to pass through the strait “without coordination.” The Guardian reported that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy said four ships tried to move through the waterway with their transponders off, with two stopped in place and two forced to turn back.
The incident matters because the Hormuz dispute is no longer only a diplomatic argument over tolls, sanctions, and a possible draft peace agreement. Iran is now publicly framing passage through the strait as a permission-based system, while the United States is warning that any attempt to turn that system into a toll regime could trigger sanctions.
What Iran Says Happened
According to Middle East Eye, Mehr said Iranian armed forces fired warning shots at four vessels near Hormuz after they tried to pass without coordination. The report did not identify the vessels or say whether any ship was damaged.
The Guardian gave more detail from the IRGC navy statement. It reported that 26 commercial ships and oil tankers had been allowed through the strait over the previous 24 hours. The IRGC said “seeking permission is mandatory” and warned that passage through other routes would be treated as disruption.
That language is the key point. Tehran is trying to show that Hormuz is not fully closed, but that traffic is moving only through an Iranian-controlled process. For shipowners, insurers, and governments, that is a very different risk profile from a simple reopening.
Why This Is Different From The Toll Fight
List25 has already covered the U.S. warning to Oman over a possible Hormuz toll plan and the reported 60-day ceasefire memorandum of understanding. This latest turn is different because it is about physical enforcement at sea.
A toll dispute can sit inside negotiations. Warning shots near commercial traffic can collapse them. If tankers or cargo ships test the route without Iranian permission, every encounter becomes a possible trigger for a broader clash.
The Guardian reported that Washington has sanctioned Iran’s new Persian Gulf Strait Authority, the body Tehran set up to manage vessel passage through the waterway. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also warned Oman that Washington would target actors involved in a tolling system.
The Ceasefire Is Under Pressure
The warning-shot report landed as Washington and Tehran were already trading accusations over fresh military action. BBC News reported that Iran’s IRGC said it targeted an American air base in the region after fresh U.S. strikes on southern Iran.
BBC also reported that Kuwait said it intercepted “hostile missile and drone threats,” while U.S. Central Command said Iranian one-way attack drones near the Strait of Hormuz posed a clear threat and were intercepted. Washington described its own strikes as defensive. Tehran called the U.S. action a ceasefire violation.
That is the setting for the ship incident: a ceasefire that exists on paper, a strait that remains only partially usable, and both sides claiming the other is breaking the rules.
The Deal Is Still Not Locked
The timing is especially sensitive because President Donald Trump has circulated a draft Iran peace agreement among allies, including Israel, according to The Guardian. U.S. Vice President JD Vance said the parties were close but “not there yet,” with sticking points still involving Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile and enrichment.
The reported draft would aim to restore commercial shipping in Hormuz toward prewar levels within 30 days and open a 60-day negotiating window on Iran’s nuclear program. But that goal now has to survive incidents at sea, Iranian permission demands, U.S. sanctions threats, and Gulf security alarms.
For now, the factual read is narrow and serious: Iranian media say warning shots were fired at four vessels trying to pass near Hormuz without coordination; the IRGC says authorized ships are still moving; and the U.S.-Iran diplomatic track is still short of a signed deal.
This is a developing story. Details about the vessels and any international response may change as more official statements emerge.
Sources: Middle East Eye; The Guardian; BBC News.