With both Iran and the United States exerting control in and around parts of the Strait of Hormuz, securing safe passage for commercial ships — even those without Iranian links — remains opaque and difficult.
The United States Central Command said on Tuesday that its forces had redirected 65 commercial vessels and disabled four ships amid an American blockade on Iranian ports imposed last month — three vessels had been redirected since it reported on Monday. Not all were Iranian or linked to Iran.
Iran, for its part, on Tuesday asserted that “the scope of the Strait of Hormuz has been significantly expanded” and had “transformed into a vast operational region,” according to Mohammad Akbarzadeh, the political deputy of the Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, in a televised interview.
As a result, vessels in the region are increasingly traveling without transmitting critical information meant to keep the waters safe in normal conditions, maritime intelligence experts say.
“There is a 600 percent rise in dark activity,” said Ami Daniel, the chief executive of Windward, a maritime intelligence firm. Many ships are turning off not only the transponders that transmit their locations but also the radars that allow them to detect other ships, he said.
Mr. Daniel said he and his research teams are seeing hundreds of Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps vessels patrolling the waters, suggesting mariners are going dark “predominantly for safety purposes.”
There have been more than three dozen retaliatory attacks on commercial vessels by Iran since the U.S.-Israeli war on the country began in late February. To avoid attacks, some vessels have tried to negotiate safe passage with Iran, traveling on routes that take them through Iranian waters and past the country’s coasts.
This, too, carries significant risks, however.
Among the ships redirected by the United States was the Agios Fanouris I, managed by the Greek company Eastern Mediterranean Maritime. It was laden with Iraqi oil and headed for Vietnam on Monday when it turned around after clearing the Strait of Hormuz, near the Gulf of Oman, maritime intelligence data shows.
A United States Defense Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss operational matters, confirmed that American forces had redirected the ship, and said the action was taken to prevent the vessel from violating the U.S. blockade.
According to Iranian news media, the vessel had passed through the strait with Iran’s permission. This suggests the ship traveled through Iranian waters and along the country’s coasts, and may have paid a toll for passage — in accord with a new Iranian system put in place amid the war — or made alternate arrangements.
Last month, announcing the American blockade, Central Command said it would “not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports.”
But participating in the Iranian routing and toll system conflicts with American assertions of control in the region.
Earlier this month, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said it was “aware of Iranian threats to shipping and demands for ‘toll’ payments to receive safe passage,” warning that participants “risk exposure to sanctions for engaging in transactions” with Iran and noting that “vessels of all nations entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastline are also subject to U.S. Central Command’s impartial naval blockade.”
Eastern Mediterranean Maritime did not respond to a request for comment. Nor did PetroVietnam Oil Corporation, an arm of Vietnam’s state energy company, which Bloomberg News reported had sought Central Command’s permission to pass.
The plight of the very large oil tanker highlights the obstacles for vessels trying to navigate the treacherous waterway as Iran and the United States battle for control of a route through which about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas traversed before the war began.
Mr. Akbarzadeh said that Iran defines the Strait of Hormuz as an expanded area that now “covers more than 200 to 300 miles” from “only about 20 to 30 miles” previously.
“This comes while some adversaries claimed that the naval force of the Islamic Republic of Iran had been weakened or no longer existed,” Mr. Akbarzadeh said.
He added, “These actions show that the Islamic Republic of Iran is carefully and powerfully monitoring regional movements and will not allow any encroachment on its waters and interests.”
But Iran is also struggling under the American blockade, based on recent vessel activity.
Mr. Daniel of Windward said there has been an increase in traffic in the strait in recent days, with much of the activity involving inbound empty Iranian tankers to provide oil storage while exports are blocked. American officials have argued that once Iran is unable to store oil, it would have to shut down wells, further pressuring the country’s ailing economy.
“We believe they are trying to rush vessels in,” he said. This activity suggests that American pressure tactics may be having an effect. Speaking of the American blockade, he added, “I think it’s starting to work.”
Ephrat Livni is a Times reporter covering breaking news around the world. She is based in Washington.
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