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Hormuz at near standstill as Iran warns ships to keep to its waters

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has dropped to under 10% of normal levels after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ordered vessels to use alternative routes near Larak Island, citing mine risks. The IRGC has also vowed to prevent military vessels from crossing the strait, while denying reports of US warships in the area.

By Tertius News AI Desk 2 outlets · 3 articles Version 1 Coverage Apr 9–11, 2026 Published Aug 13

Coverage Comparison

Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global oil supplies, has fallen sharply after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) directed ships to use alternative routes to avoid potential mines. According to Reuters, ship-tracking data showed that only six ships—one oil products tanker and five dry bulk carriers—passed through the strait in the past 24 hours, compared with about 140 vessels normally. The IRGC's directive, reported by both TASS and the Tasnim news agency, requires all vessels intending to transit the strait to coordinate with the IRGC Navy and use two specified routes passing through waters near Larak Island until further notice. The move comes amid heightened military tensions in the Persian Gulf and follows a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran, which has left shipping companies uncertain about safe passage.

Key Claims

The IRGC Navy has ordered ships to use alternative routes in the Strait of Hormuz to avoid potential collisions with mines. According to a statement carried by TASS, the routes pass through waters near Larak Island, and ships must coordinate with the IRGC Navy. This claim is supported by both TASS and Reuters' reporting on the Tasnim agency.
Traffic has dropped to well below 10% of normal volumes. Reuters, citing ship-tracking data, reported that only six ships passed through in the past 24 hours, compared with approximately 140 normally. This figure is reported by a single source (Reuters) and has not been independently verified by other outlets in the available coverage.
The IRGC Navy command will prevent all military vessels from crossing the Strait of Hormuz. In a statement published by the Tasnim news agency and reported by TASS, the IRGC said "any attempt by a military vessel to cross the strait will be thwarted firmly and resolutely." This claim is sourced from the IRGC Navy command itself, as carried by TASS.
The IRGC Navy denied reports about the passage of American ships through the strait. The denial, also from the IRGC Navy command, was reported by TASS but no other outlet in the current coverage mentions such reports.
Iran may intend to charge a toll for ships transiting the strait, with some reports suggesting a figure of $2 million. This claim was reported by the Jerusalem Post but is not mentioned in the TASS or Reuters coverage, and remains unverified.

Perspectives

Shipping companies are navigating significant uncertainty. Jotaro Tamura, President and CEO of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, one of Japan's largest shipping firms, told Reuters that "it must be confirmed that the safety risks are sufficiently low" before resuming normal operations. The company has managed to bring three tankers out of the strait recently but is awaiting guidance from the Japanese government on how to proceed under the two-week ceasefire.

British maritime security firm Ambrey has warned of "a realistic possibility of continued risk to unauthorized Strait of Hormuz transits as well as to Israel- and US-affiliated shipping attempting to transit," adding that "even shipping with apparent approval has been turned back in recent weeks mid-transit."

From Tehran's perspective, the IRGC frames its directive as a safety measure. According to the IRGC statement reported by TASS, the alternative routes aim "to ensure maritime safety and prevent potential collisions with sea mines" in light of "military tensions in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz." The IRGC also asserts its commitment to preventing any military vessel from crossing, a position that underscores the heightened military posture in the region.

Context

The current disruption follows a period of escalating US-Iran tensions, with the two-week ceasefire offering only a partial reprieve. The dramatic reduction in shipping volumes through Hormuz—a chokepoint for about 20% of global oil consumption—has raised concerns about supply disruptions and potential economic fallout. The IRGC's insistence on routing through Iranian territorial waters near Larak Island is a strategic move that could enhance Iran's control over the strait, and the suggestion of a toll—reported by the Jerusalem Post but not confirmed elsewhere—adds another dimension to Tehran's possible intentions.

As the situation develops, shipping firms and governments are closely monitoring the IRGC's directives and the security environment. The coming days will reveal whether traffic levels recover or whether the strait remains at a near standstill, with global energy markets watching closely.

How each outlet told it

Jerusalem Post as of Apr 9, 2026, 2:30 PM UTC

Framing: Neutral — Analytical

Facts Included:

IRGC warning to ships to keep to a route passing through Iranian territorial waters
Impact of US-Iran two-week ceasefire on shipping traffic
Number of ships that have passed through the strait in the past 24 hours
Iran's potential plan to charge toll for Strait of Hormuz passage

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TASS — English as of Apr 9, 2026, 1:15 AM UTC

Framing: Neutral — Informative

Facts Included:

IRGC Navy directive for ships to use alternative routes in Strait of Hormuz
Two alternative routes proposed by Tehran to avoid potential collisions with mines
Routes pass through waters near Larak Island

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TASS — English as of Apr 11, 2026, 10:45 PM UTC

Framing: Neutral — Informative

Facts Included:

IRGC Navy command statement on preventing military vessels from crossing the Strait of Hormuz
Denial of reports about American ships passing through the strait

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimThe IRGC Navy has directed ships to use alternative routes in the Strait of Hormuz to avoid potential collisions with mines.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from TASS — English as of Apr 9, 2026, 1:15 AM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimTwo alternative routes have been proposed by Tehran, both passing through waters near Larak Island.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from TASS — English as of Apr 9, 2026, 1:15 AM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimThe IRGC has warned ships to keep to a route passing through Iranian territorial waters when crossing the Strait of Hormuz.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from Jerusalem Post as of Apr 9, 2026, 2:30 PM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimOnly six ships had passed through the strait in the past 24 hours, versus about 140 normally.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Jerusalem Post as of Apr 9, 2026, 2:30 PM UTC
ClaimIran may want to charge a toll for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, with some reports suggesting a figure of $2 million.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via Jerusalem Post as of Apr 9, 2026, 2:30 PM UTC
ClaimThe IRGC Navy command will prevent all military vessels from crossing the Strait of Hormuz.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Apr 11, 2026, 10:45 PM UTC
ClaimThe IRGC Navy command denied reports about the passage of American ships via the Strait of Hormuz.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Apr 11, 2026, 10:45 PM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

2 outlets · 3 articles consulted: Jerusalem Post, TASS — English 7 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-08-13