CENTCOM: IRGC has no authority over Strait of Hormuz shipping routes, U.S. says

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has no authority to dictate shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, reaffirming that the strategic waterway remains open to international maritime traffic.

The statement came after CENTCOM accused the IRGC of threatening and attempting to interfere with commercial vessels and innocent mariners while claiming that ships should follow routes designated by the Iranian force.

CENTCOM emphasized that the Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway and that commercial vessels continue to transit the passage with support from U.S. military forces.

According to CENTCOM, U.S. forces have assisted approximately 1,000 commercial vessels carrying about 500 million barrels of crude oil through the narrow waterway since early May, underscoring ongoing efforts to ensure freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most critical energy corridors.