- The blockade will be enforced in the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea, east of the Strait of Hormuz
- It will apply to all vessel traffic regardless of flag
- However, it will not impede neutral transit through the Strait of Hormuz to or from non-Iranian destinations
- But neutral vessels may still be subject to the right of visit and search to determine cargo load
- Any vessel entering or departing the blockaded area without authorisation is subject to interception, diversion, and capture
- Humanitarian shipments including food, medical supplies, and other essential goods will be permitted but subject to inspection
As mentioned earlier in the day, it’s a case now that the Strait of Hormuz will be contested as the US navy takes up presence. The headline remark might sound nice but it doesn’t mean that Iran is still not in control. They very much are.
As such, there are already no third party vessels passing through which means the US blockade isn’t really going to be busy doing anything. They are just very much there to stop vessels to/from Iran itself. That is the main goal.
So far today, shipping data only shows two oil and gas tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz. However, both are linked to Iran in getting their oil out of the region before the US blockade begins. Other than that, there are no other oil and gas vessels that transited through the strait in the past day.
Those are the little details which matter the most. Even if markets might not be overly focused on them, the fact remains that there has been absolutely zero progress in freeing up movement along the Strait of Hormuz since the conflict began.
