TEHRAN — Iran on Thursday announced alternative routes for vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, citing the risk of sea mines in the main zone of the vital waterway.“All ships intending to transit the Strait of Hormuz are hereby notified that in order to comply with the principles of maritime safety and to be protected from possible collisions with sea mines…they should take alternative routes for traffic in the Strait of Hormuz,” Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in a statement. The statement shared instructions for an alternative entry and exit route through the strait. The new maps direct traffic through designated routes in the critical shipping lane, through which a fifth of the world’s oil supply flows. It still remains unclear whether the Strait of Hormuz is fully open for ships, with reports saying that Iran shut the crucial waterway over Israeli attacks on Lebanon, something Tehran believes was in violation of its ceasefire agreement with the US. Tehran had effectively blocked the key shipping route since early March, sending global energy prices spiraling. The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire overnight Tuesday, less than an hour before US President Donald Trump’s deadline to obliterate the Islamic republic if no deal was reached to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. — AgenciesTEHRAN — Iran on Thursday announced alternative routes for vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, citing the risk of sea mines in the main zone of the vital waterway.“All ships intending to transit the Strait of Hormuz are hereby notified that in order to comply with the principles of maritime safety and to be protected from possible collisions with sea mines…they should take alternative routes for traffic in the Strait of Hormuz,” Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in a statement. The statement shared instructions for an alternative entry and exit route through the strait. The new maps direct traffic through designated routes in the critical shipping lane, through which a fifth of the world’s oil supply flows. It still remains unclear whether the Strait of Hormuz is fully open for ships, with reports saying that Iran shut the crucial waterway over Israeli attacks on Lebanon, something Tehran believes was in violation of its ceasefire agreement with the US. Tehran had effectively blocked the key shipping route since early March, sending global energy prices spiraling. The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire overnight Tuesday, less than an hour before US President Donald Trump’s deadline to obliterate the Islamic republic if no deal was reached to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. — Agencies
