Iran Asserts Control Over Strait of Hormuz Shipping After Attack on Vessel Near Oman

DUBAI/LONDON, June 26 (Reuters) – Tehran reasserted its right on Friday to control shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and warned Gulf states against siding with the U.S., a day after an attack on a ship near Oman highlighted the fragility of a preliminary deal to end the Iran war.

Iran was responding to what it called an "interventionist, irresponsible and provocative" joint statement by the United States and six Gulf states that rejected Iran's insistence that it could charge tolls on vessels transiting the strait.

"Safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz cannot be guaranteed under ambiguous arrangements, parallel routes or decision-making that does not take Iran's role as a coastal state into account," Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on X.

Underlining the risks facing shipping, Iranian state TV said three foreign tankers attempting what it called an "unauthorized passage" of the strait were turned back after a warning from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. It gave no further details.

Asked about the matter, a U.S. official said: "We are aware of these reports and looking into them. President (Donald) Trump has been clear that Iran cannot subvert the free flow of traffic in the Strait."

Oil prices dropped by more than 3% on Friday, on course for steep weekly losses despite the conflicting interpretations of last week's interim deal between Iran and the U.S. and a slowdown in traffic through the strait, where a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies typically passes.

Saudi Aramco resumed crude loadings on Friday at its Ras Tanura terminal in the Gulf, the world's biggest oil port, after a nearly four-month halt, shipping data showed.

Fertilizer shipments through the strait have also picked up, helping to assuage concerns about a spike in global food prices because of the waterway's prolonged closure.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio — wrapping up a tour of the Gulf to reassure nervous regional allies about the interim pact — told reporters on Thursday that if Iran threatened or blocked ships in the strait, "we're going to have a problem."

In a joint statement, Rubio and the Gulf Cooperation Council called for "free, unconditional, and unrestricted navigation" in the strait without tolls or "attempts to assert control." They said a lasting peace must address Iran's ballistic missiles, drones and support for proxy groups.

Iran's foreign ministry responded on Friday by saying the U.S. military presence in the Gulf was the source of regional insecurity and division, and that the strait should be governed by Iran and Oman in line with the terms of the interim deal.

"We warn against the continuation of hostile and interventionist policies in the region," it said.

Tehran took effective control of the waterway after the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 that launched the war, disrupting oil flows and rattling global energy markets and the wider economy. Iran then fired at Israel and Gulf states that host U.S. bases, and Iran-aligned Hezbollah militants fired on Israel from Lebanon, reigniting conflict there.

Ali Akbar Velayati, top adviser to Iran's supreme leader, issued a warning to Washington's Gulf allies.

"The stability of the Persian Gulf Arab states is indebted to Iran's century-long management of the Strait of Hormuz… their strategic survival is at the mercy of Tehran's tolerance," Velayati said on X.

Taiwan's Evergreen Marine 2603.TW said earlier on Friday its Singapore-flagged ship Ever Lovely had been hit close to Oman on Thursday by an "unknown object" while on a route recommended by the British navy agency UKMTO.

Nobody was hurt and the ship resumed its journey out of the strait.

Two U.S. officials told Reuters Iran had fired on the ship. Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority — established by Tehran to manage requests for ships to travel through the strait — said passage through unauthorized routes would be "the responsibility of the owner, operator, and vessel commander."

The U.S. government did not immediately comment. Trump warned this month that if Iran did not honor the interim deal, including reopening the strait, the U.S. would probably go back to bombing the country.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Friday three South Korean ships would leave the strait over the weekend after the Oceans Ministry reported eight more South Korean vessels had exited.

Disagreements also persist over other elements of the framework ceasefire deal, including over financial incentives for Iran, nuclear inspections and Israel's parallel war in Lebanon.

The deal set up 60 days of talks to tackle thornier issues, including Iran's nuclear program.

Israel dropped leaflets over the southern Lebanese town of Mansouri on Friday ordering residents to leave, Lebanese state media reported, the first such order since a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect late on Saturday.

Israel has said it will keep troops in what it calls a "buffer zone" in southern Lebanon aimed at thwarting Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel. Iran wants Israel to fully withdraw and says the Lebanon ceasefire is an integral part of its interim agreement with the U.S. that halted hostilities.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Friday that any Iranian attack on Israel would be Tehran's "biggest mistake."

(Additional reporting by Gram Slattery in Manama; Writing by Gareth Jones; Editing by Aidan Lewis and Timothy Heritage)

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This article contains reporting from Reuters, published under license.