Overview
- Iran has ringed the strait with seven militarized islands that watch the two narrow shipping lanes and can halt or steer tankers within range of its missiles and fast boats.
- Ship operators are being told to coordinate transits through IRGC-linked intermediaries, with trade press reporting at least one $2 million payment for a safe corridor near Larak.
- Kharg Island, which handles most of Iran’s crude exports, saw U.S. strikes on military sites in mid‑March, yet oil loading infrastructure was reported to keep working.
- The amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli has moved into the region with Marines on board, highlighting the risk that any bid to contest the islands could escalate into island fighting.
- Iran warns it would hit the UAE if its islands are seized, a flashpoint sharpened by Abu Musa and the Tunbs sitting astride the lanes and by long-running sovereignty disputes.