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

<a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMizgFBVV95cUxPbTJQR3N1VWw2dXc3bm5YbUQ1NkQwakVtMHNkbUtjVWU1VDlRWTdiSHhVNndZQk1nd3RXZm5RdjJnNE1OMmRZaFhNeF9TaWc2V2lNX1lLMmM3R080RTRlaVBfajZMQ09QQWVvcnRwWDkzQmFCSEZOMjE4LU9LWkxtaHQ4MlY4UFZJRUU2R3lGcU5Tdm1jTEgzMWdfYW00UG5xRjhWcks0aGZEcWFsam1VYWZSS3JUNzJVaWdsbXh3MFRNWWhPaTVhcmJOVU1OZw?oc=5" target="_blank">Hormuz at near standstill as Iran warns ships to keep to its waters</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<font color="#6f6f6f">Reuters</font>

Several vessels in the Persian Gulf have received messages claiming to be from Iran’s navy saying the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, Reuters reported, citing shipping sources. The message said ship owners need to receive permission from Iran to transit and warned that vessels failing to comply would be 'targeted and destroyed.'

Iran says Japanese ships will be allowed to transit the Strait of Hormuz, in the latest sign that Tehran has started pursuing a selective blockade of the strategic waterway. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Japan’s Kyodo News that the strait is open to ships from countries that have not attacked Iran.

Merchant ships continue to trickle through the Strait of Hormuz as the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) sets up a tolled passageway in another attempt to control the vital waterway. The IRGC has created a tollbooth, allowing Iran to decide whether it will grant safe passage to ships for a price.

Shippers on Wednesday said they needed more clarity on the terms of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire before resuming transit through the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran said the waterway remained closed to vessels sailing without a permit. The six-week conflict had brought traffic through the strait to a standstill, pushing global energy prices sharply higher.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has warned ships to navigate through its territorial waters in the Strait of Hormuz, leading to a significant reduction in maritime traffic.

Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked, with Iran attempting to formalize control over the waterway despite a fragile ceasefire with the US.

For the seventh consecutive day, only Iran-linked ships are transiting the Strait of Hormuz, with no other commercial vessels making the crossing.

Despite a ceasefire, only a few ships are attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz, highlighting the uncertainty surrounding the waterway's status.