Six small boats were sunk as the US moved to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and merchant vessels began rerouting into Oman waters. U.S. Central Command said two American-flagged merchant ships transited the strait under its protection while Iran launched missiles, drones and attacks that struck vessels and oil facilities in the United Arab Emirates. Iran has asserted control over passages in the strait and captured foreign-flagged ships, complicating which navy grants safe passage. The rerouting and tightened controls affect a big share of global oil and LNG flows and raise fresh questions for shipping firms and insurers.
The immediate change was visible at sea. U.S. Military helicopters engaged and sank six small boats, U.S. Central Command said, as a task force escorted commercial ships through waters off Oman. Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, said the passage opened was free of Iranian mines and that "each and every" threat had been defeated.
The clash followed attacks on the United Arab Emirates. The UAE Defence Ministry said Iran launched four cruise missiles, three were shot down and one fell into the sea. Authorities in Fujairah reported an Iranian drone caused a fire at an oil facility and wounded three Indian nationals. British maritime authorities reported cargo vessels ablaze off the UAE coast.
Who is controlling the choke point
The narrowest part of the strait sits entirely within waters claimed by Iran and Oman. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced it was exercising control in early March and has been enforcing clearances for ships since. Iran then seized foreign container ships seeking to leave the strait and fired on a third, Al Jazeera reported. Tehran says those moves are part of its effort to regulate passage through waters it sees as its territorial domain.
At the same time, the United States says it's directing which vessels can transit from the Arabian Sea into the Gulf. The U.S. Imposed a naval blockade in mid-April and set up an "enhanced security area" directing ships to cross in Oman waters. That creates a two-sided choke point: Iran controls exits into the Gulf while the U.S.-led coalition controls entries from the Arabian Sea.
How merchant traffic is reacting
Tracking data show many ships are shifting their routes. More vessels are transiting the strait within the waters off Oman or staying further out in the Arabian Sea rather than hugging the narrow channel at the Iran side. Gulf News reported that recent crossings appear mainly to involve ships bound for or leaving non-Iranian ports, matching the U.S.
Claim that its blockade doesn't bar trade not tied to Iran.
Shipping firms and insurers now face a choice. They can follow the U.S.-organised corridor, accept guidance to stay in Oman waters, and rely on U.S. Protection. Or they can try to transit close to Iran and risk interception, seizure, or attack. The U.S. Military said it had escorted two American-flagged merchant ships through the newly opened lane on the day of the clashes.
Insurance costs and routing decisions are already shifting. The strait normally carries a big share of global oil and LNG in peacetime, so any sustained rerouting raises fuel logistics and cost issues. This AP reported that the reopening move and the Iranian response prompted fresh doubts among insurers and ship operators about whether the risk is acceptable.
Both sides have seized and redirected vessels in recent weeks. The U.S. Intercepted Iranian-flagged tankers in Asian waters and captured an Iranian-flagged container ship near the northern Arabian Sea. Iran has captured foreign container ships trying to leave the strait and fired on others, showing both parties are enforcing maritime controls in practice rather than simply through statements.
That enforcement has a practical effect on where commercial shipping congregates. Vessels not tied to Iranian trade are moving away from the narrowest, Iranian-controlled lanes and clustering in corridors where U.S.
Forces have said they will provide security. Those corridors lie farther offshore and often in waters governed by Oman.
For countries and companies that rely on Gulf exports, the change matters for scheduling and costs. Longer routes mean more fuel burn and longer voyage times. And insurers may charge war-risk premiums for passage close to the contested areas, making some voyages uneconomic. Shipping firms will weigh higher costs against delays from taking longer but supposedly safer routes.
Diplomacy and military posture remain linked. Iran has called U.S. Seizures of Iranian ships "piracy" and insists its control of territorial waters gives it a legal basis to regulate passage. The U.S. And its partners say their actions are meant to keep global trade moving and to neutralise threats such as mines, small-boat swarms, missiles and drones.
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Admiral Brad Cooper said U.S. Commanders have the authority to defend commercial shipping and that the passage opened was free of mines.
This article was created with AI assistance.
