An oil tanker navigates the Strait of Hormuz despite threats from Iran's
Revolutionary Guard
[June 25, 2026] By
JON GAMBRELL and MATTHEW LEE
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A Liberian oil tanker made its way
out of the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday despite threats to shipping from
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, using a new route close to
Oman’s shore that has been promoted by a U.N. maritime agency.
The transit of the Stoic Warrior and the threats come as tensions rise
between Iran and the United States over the terms of their interim
accord aimed at permanently ending the Iran war.
From getting ships through the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf to the
future of Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium, the two nations
are increasingly debating the terms of the deal signed last week.
Through the signing of the memorandum of understanding, the U.S. and
Iran agreed to a 60-day period to iron out these and other details.
Until that happens — during private talks — leaders from both countries
will also continue to negotiate in public, raising the risks of
derailing the shaky ceasefire in the region.
On a trip to the Middle East, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke
Thursday with Gulf Arab officials in Bahrain, the island kingdom in the
Persian Gulf home to the Navy's 5th Fleet, trying to assuage their
concerns.
The flareup of fighting in Lebanon between Israel and the Iranian-backed
militia Hezbollah has threatened the deal. On Wednesday, Israel launched
an airstrike that killed two people in southern Lebanon, the country’s
state-run news agency said. It was Israel’s first airstrike on Lebanon
since the latest ceasefire took effect on Saturday.
Tanker sails through Strait of Hormuz
The Stoic Warrior — signaling that it planned to transit the Strait of
Hormuz — took off early Thursday morning along the coast of the United
Arab Emirates and then Oman.
The vessel then traveled around Oman's Musandam Peninsula fairly close
to the shore, part of a route that Oman laid out alongside the
International Maritime Organization, an agency of the United Nations
that oversees shipping at sea.
North of the route is the Traffic Separation Scheme, the route in the
center of the strait that for decades ships moved through freely. The
route is used for transport of about a fifth of all the world’s oil and
natural gas.
However, there has been the report of at least one mine sighted in the
water after the Guard said that it mined the passage during the war that
started on Feb. 28 with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. The threat of
mines shut off the route.
Even before the deal, some ships had been getting out of the strait,
with U.S. military support. But the U.N. agency's effort is the latest
to free trapped vessels. The shipping company Maersk said Thursday that
its container ship the Maersk Baltimore and another chartered vessel had
also made it out the strait.
The naval arm of the Revolutionary Guard, apparently reacting to the new
IMO's route, issued an angry warning Thursday, carried by Iran's
state-run IRNA news agency.
“A few hours ago, without notice or coordination with the Islamic
Republic of Iran, some authorities announced a new route for ship
traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, which is unacceptable and completely
dangerous,” the Guard said.
“It is hereby notified to all that the only authorized route for passing
through the Strait of Hormuz is the one declared by the Islamic Republic
of Iran," the Iranian force said. "Vessel traffic outside these routes
is extremely dangerous and prohibited.”
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Tankers and cargo vessels are seen in the Gulf of Oman, along
shipping routes linking the Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian Sea,
Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo)
 “Violators will be dealt with,” it
added, without elaborating.
There were no immediate reports of any incidents in the strait as
the Stoic Warrior passed. Several ships trailed behind it, according
to ship-tracking data.
Anwar Gargash, a senior Emirati diplomat, warned Iran on Thursday
over trying to impede the strait or put fees on vessels plying its
waters.
“New geopolitical facts cannot be imposed on the Arab Gulf states as
a result of a treacherous aggression against them,” Gargash wrote on
X. “It sows new seeds of discord and conflict for the future. And
this is precisely what applies to the Strait of Hormuz.”
Rubio holds talks in Bahrain
The U.S. secretary of state met with foreign ministers from the
six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, trying to assure them their
interests would be protected in any agreement reached with Iran,
including when it comes to the Strait of Hormuz.
“We want to ensure that in any decisions that are made throughout
this negotiating process, the interest of our partners and our
allies in the region are always taken into account," Rubio said.
"There is no part in this deal that’s undertaken that in any way
undermines the security, the stability of the prosperity of any of
our partners in the Gulf region.”
The GCC countries have expressed reservations about the limitation
of the U.S.-Iran deal signed last week, including conflicting claims
over the strait and the fact that the memorandum of understanding
does not specifically cover Iran’s nuclear or ballistic missile
programs.
Thursday’s meeting in Manama, Bahrain's capital, came ahead of an
expected meeting in Oman between the GCC and Iran to discuss
maritime security and safety in the strait.
Speaking on behalf of the GCC, Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif
bin Rashid al-Zayani thanked the U.S. for its support, saying that
because of the agreement, “today we see a glimmer of hope for our
region” but stressed that Iran must comply with its commitments.
“While this progress is encouraging, it is critically important that
Iran adheres to its obligations,” al-Zayani said.
Lebanon remains a flashpoint
Israel’s military said on Thursday that a reservist soldier was
killed and another hurt in southern Lebanon, where troops are
occupying swaths of the country. At least 37 soldiers have been
killed in Lebanon or northern Israel during the fighting, as well
one civilian defense contractor. Two civilians in northern Israel
have also been killed.
Over 4,000 people in Lebanon have been killed in Israeli strikes
since this latest Israel-Hezbollah war began in March, two days
after the Iran war started and when the Lebanese militant group
fired at Israel.
___
Lee reported from Manama, Bahrain. Associated Press writer Julia
Frankel in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
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