IMO Council Rejects Iran Strait of Hormuz Control Claim

The International Maritime Organization Council called on member states Friday to reject Iran's claim of sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and any unilateral attempt to control or obstruct transit through the waterway. The non-binding decision condemned Tehran's creation of a Persian Gulf Strait Authority purporting to control traffic, after renewed U.S.-Iran hostilities followed attacks on commercial shipping. Iran told delegates the allegations were politically motivated and said its measures were meant to protect sovereignty and security, not close the strait. For Israel and its allies, the ruling reinforces that free navigation, not Iranian coercion backed by missiles and drones, is the test of the Hormuz track.