Iran Expands Hormuz Strait Blockade into UAE Waters

Iran’s new agency tasked with monitoring the Strait of Hormuz has expanded the areas under its control. The agency says its jurisdiction now extends to waters south of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, where oil infrastructure has been built to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. Traffic through Hormuz — the global shipping artery — has been under Iranian control since the outbreak of the conflict with Israel and the United States on 28 February. Iran effectively closed the strait since the war and has sought to levy charges on ships transiting it, insisting that vessels passing through the waterway must obtain permission from Iran’s armed forces. According to AFP, in a post on X on Wednesday (20/5) with a map, the Iranian body, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) said they had outlined the ‘regulatory jurisdiction for managing the strait’. It said this included an area between a line running from ‘Kuh-e Mubarak in Iran to the south of Fujairah in the UAE… to the line connecting the tip of Qeshm Island in Iran to Umm Al-Quwain in the UAE’. It added that ‘transit through this area for the purpose of passing the Strait of Hormuz requires coordination and authorization from the Persian Gulf Strait Authority’. Earlier this month, Tehran launched the PGSA, said to be responsible for coordinating with shipping companies to collect voyage fees. They also threatened to attack any ships crossing the strait without their permission. On its social media account, active since Monday (18/5), the PGSA defines itself as a ‘legal entity and representative authority of the Islamic Republic of Iran to manage the transit routes through the Strait of Hormuz’. Relations between Iran and the UAE have been highly strained since the war between the US-Israel and Iran. Specifically after Tehran launched retaliatory missile and drone strikes against Gulf states in response to US-Israel attacks. Last week, Iran accused the UAE of playing an active role in the war. The UAE denied the claim. The UAE also strongly opposes Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz and has urged joint action to ensure freedom of navigation through the strait.