Conflict coverage · Iran–Gulf

Iran establishes a Persian Gulf Strait Authority

May 2026Key eventhormuz-strait

PoliticalMaritimeDiplomatic

Iran establishes a body it calls the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, asserting exclusive control over the waterway. The Gulf Arab states reject the claim, and so does Oman — which has jointly operated the strait's transit corridor with Iran since 1968.

Why it mattersA change to the LEGAL contest over the strait that altered neither physical passage nor commercial access, which is exactly why the module keeps the three separate. Iran has also stated it is not party to the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention, so the dispute is not a simple division between Iran and the West: its own corridor partner rejects the claim.

Confidence: ModerateSources: Congressional Research Service — Iran, the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz · UN Security Council and Panel of Experts reporting ↗Methodology Corrections

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The 2026 warInterdiction and deepening disruption

Where this fits

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