Iran has published a new map claiming regulatory control over a stretch of the Strait of Hormuz that extends deep into the territorial waters of the United Arab Emirates and Oman. The map was released Wednesday by Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), defining a management zone from Kuh-e Mobarak in Iran to south of Fujairah in the UAE in the east, and from Qeshm Island to Umm al-Quwain in the UAE in the west.
Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE have sent a joint letter to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), formally warning commercial vessels not to comply with Iran's demands. The waterway has been largely blocked since the outbreak of the Iran war on February 28, initially by Tehran and later by a U.S. blockade.
The Institute for the Study of War assessed that Iran's new claims represent a deliberate step-by-step expansion, laying explicit claim to control over the territorial waters of both the UAE and Oman. So far, only Chinese-linked shadow fleet vessels have paid tolls to the PGSA. Iran is also using the current ceasefire to rebuild its drone and missile programs, with U.S. intelligence reporting that drone production has resumed ahead of schedule.