The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Thursday rejected reports of a “temporary maritime corridor” for transit through the Strait of Hormuz established without coordination with Tehran, calling any newly announced route outside Iran’s designated corridors as “unacceptable” and a threat to public safety.
In a statement posted on Telegram, the IRGC said safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible only via the corridors it has designated. It stressed that vessels wishing to cross must coordinate with the IRGC Navy on Channel 16—the international calling and distress frequency used on marine VHF radio—and added it would take action against vessels that do not comply.
The IRGC’s statement comes a day after Oman announced it had coordinated with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on establishing a “temporary maritime corridor” through the strait, calling on vessels wanting to use it to coordinate directly with the organization. Oman’s maritime authorities also told ships to use Channel 16 to contact the Omani radio station A4N before entering the temporary route.
The statement came after US President Donald Trump posted Wednesday on Truth Social that Iran had told the United States it would not impose fees on vessels transiting Hormuz. Trump warned that negotiations would end immediately if that proved untrue.
These developments come amid continued disagreement between Washington and Tehran over the terms of the framework agreement signed last week to end the war, including financial incentives for Iran, control over the Strait of Hormuz, and the Israeli war in Lebanon, following the first round of talks between the two countries in Switzerland on Sunday and Monday.
The IMO announced Wednesday the commencement of a plan to evacuate more than 11,000 sailors stranded in the Strait of Hormuz region, in cooperation with Iran, Oman, the United States, and other coastal states, under the memorandum of understanding Washington and Tehran signed on June 17.
The plan uses a temporary maritime corridor and two safe routes that Oman has communicated to vessels, with the strait’s reopening still only partial amid security caution—despite signs of a limited return of oil and gas traffic and progress in the US-Iranian talks.
