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Jun 25, 2026
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Iran Rejects UN-Backed Plan for Strait of Hormuz Ship Evacuation

AI Summary
Iran has rejected a UN-backed plan to evacuate ships trapped in the Strait of Hormuz, creating a new threat to free passage of commercial ships. The proposal, backed by Oman, aimed to set up a new management system for the strait based on voluntary fees. Iran's rejection has damaged efforts to normalize relations between Gulf states and Iran.

The Strait of Hormuz Crisis

Iran has rejected UN-backed plans for the mass evacuation of ships through the strait of Hormuz, creating a new threat to the free passage of commercial ships through the strait.

Iran's Rejection of the UN Plan

The proposal, backed by Oman, was potentially the first phase of a broader Omani proposal to consult on setting up a new management of the strait based on voluntary fees and modelled on the Malacca and Singapore strait mechanism.

  • The plan was aimed at evacuating hundreds of ships trapped in the strait.
  • Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) rejected the coordinates of two new temporary shipping evacuation lanes announced by the UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO) in conjunction with Oman.

The Impact on Shipping and Diplomacy

Iran's intervention also damaged efforts led by Saudi Arabia to convene a conference to normalise relations between the Gulf states and Iran in a new proposed non-aggression pact.

  • Shipping through the strait had been steadily increasing since Iran and the US signed a memorandum of understanding last week.
  • As part of the deal, Tehran agreed it would make its best efforts to ensure full freedom of navigation was restored to the strait and no fees or tolls would be imposed for a minimum of 60 days.

The Future of the Strait of Hormuz

The strait has proved to be Iran's key negotiating lever and it does not want to weaken that lever while bargaining is still under way on lifting US sanctions, asset relief and the future of its nuclear programme.

  • Mohammad Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran's parliament and its chief negotiator, said the chokepoint would not return to the status it had prior to 28 February, the date of the first combined US-Israeli attack on Iran.
  • Oman is eager that any proposal complies with article 43 of the UN convention on the law of the sea.