Tehran, May 22 — Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy announced that 35 vessels, including oil tankers and container ships, passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the previous 24 hours, state media reported.
In an official statement, the IRGC Navy said the movements were carried out “with the permission of and coordination with the IRGC Navy,” and provided a breakdown of the traffic as including bulk cargo carriers, oil tankers and container vessels.
The tally marks an increase from the day before, when the force said 31 commercial ships transited the vital shipping lane, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency. Officials framed the public tracking as part of the IRGC’s monitoring of a strategically important maritime corridor used for global trade.
The announcements come amid intensifying criticism from the United States. Speaking at a NATO meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated Washington’s concerns about Iran’s actions in key trade routes, saying the United States remains focused on safeguarding freedom of navigation.
Rubio accused Tehran of attempting to establish a “tolling system” for the strait and said Iran had tried to persuade Oman to join such an arrangement, calling any move to impose transit fees a breach of international maritime law and urging countries not to accept it.
A recent New York Times report cited by Rubio said Iranian and Omani officials had held discreet talks about a possible revenue-sharing arrangement that would charge ships for passage through the Strait of Hormuz. The report said Muscat was initially hesitant but reconsidered after weighing potential financial benefits.
The proposed plan, if pursued, has heightened tensions with Washington. At the White House, President Donald Trump asserted that the US military has a dominant presence in Middle Eastern sea lanes and defended American maritime measures, saying, “We have total control of the Strait of Hormuz with our blockade… We have total control… it has been 100 per cent effective.”
Trump characterized the US posture as aimed at ensuring unfettered international passage, rejecting tolls on the waterway and insisting the route remain open to all nations. He also tied the maritime posture to broader concerns about Iran’s nuclear materials, stating US aims include preventing Tehran from retaining highly enriched uranium stocks.
The president and US officials have alleged Iran holds around 900 pounds of highly enriched uranium sufficient for weapons use and suggested some of these materials may have been moved to underground sites after joint US-Israeli air strikes nearly a year ago. “We will get it… we’ll probably destroy it after we get it,” Trump said, asserting the United States would not allow Iran to keep such material.
Those US demands have met resistance inside Iran. Reuters, citing two Iranian sources, reported that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei ordered that the enriched uranium stockpile “should not leave the country,” signaling a standoff over inspections and removal.
This report is sourced from a syndicated feed and published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility for its accuracy or completeness.
