Overview
- Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said countries that expel U.S. and Israeli ambassadors would be granted full authority and freedom to transit the Strait of Hormuz, according to state media.
- President Donald Trump said he is considering taking control of the strait and signaled the U.S. Navy could escort tankers, though industry was told there is no immediate escort plan.
- Legal analysts note that Hormuz lies within Iranian and Omani territorial waters and is governed by transit passage rules, complicating any unilateral U.S. move to seize control.
- A limited-source report says Tehran’s planners are weighing closure of the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait if the United States escalates military action, a claim reported as developing.
- Shipping and insurance remain cautious, experts warn meaningful escorts would demand substantial naval assets and time, and Trump directed the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation to offer political risk coverage for Gulf trade.