The Ormuz Strait. Iran passed three super tankers after two months of waiting

According to media reports from recent days, three supertankers with a load of approximately 6 million barrels of oil left the Ormuz Strait via a route consistent with Iran's guidelines. However, this does not mean returning to safe passage through this route. On the contrary, it shows that the most important maritime oil transport corridor today operates according to the principles imposed by the Iranian authorities.

Ormuz Strait under new control

Passing throughOrmuz StraitIt is less and less like free shipping and an increasingly controlled corridor in which shipowners must take into account both Iran's decisions and the American blockade aimed at moving to Iranian ports.

According to Reuters and vessel traffic tracking services, three supertanks passed through the Strait: ChineseYuan Gui YangandLily Oceanand South KoreanUniversal Winner. In total, they carried about 6 million barrels of oil. There was a cargo of Iraqi Bashar oil aboard two units, the third carrying oil from Kuwait.

All three ships made use of a route south of the Iranian island of Larak, following guidelines previously announced by Iran. South Korea confirmed that its tanker was crossing the Strait "in cooperation with Iranian authorities".

Movement grows, but to normality far

Lloyd’s Letter Intelligence reported that at least 54 ships passed through this route between 11 and 17 May. There were only 25 of them a week earlier. This is a clear reflection, but we are still talking about a movement well below levels before the war.

For the oil market, it's a sign of apparent relief. For shipowners – rather a confirmation that Ormuz has become a trail of selective access. Those who have political security, adequate cargo, acceptable direction of voyage or approval of the authorities controlling the situation on both sides of the dispute pass through.

U.S. blocks Iran, Iran sets its own rules

The U.S. blockade is not intended to restrict the freedom to sail ships to ports other than Iranian ports. In practice, however, a double control system was created: Washington hits Iran-related trade and Tehran sets routes and conditionscrossing the Strait.

This is the most dangerous part of the current situation. The Ormuz Strait was not formally closed, but ceased to function like a mere sea trade route. Every passage of a tanker today requires a risk assessment: military, insurance and political.

Hormuz Safe and Bitcoin. Iran seeks money at risk

An additional element is the Iranian initiativeHormuz Safe, presented as a marine insurance scheme for ships and cargo passing through the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Ormuz. According to reports, it is to allow settlements in cryptocurrency, including bitcoin.

If the system takes effect in practice, it will attempt to turn shipping risk into a financial pressure tool. In other words, Iran does not have to physically close the straits to influence the cost of oil transport. It's enough to raise the price of uncertainty.

U.S. Senate limits Trump's maneuver against Iran

Against the background of this crisis, there is a political dispute in Washington. The U.S. Senate voted by 50 votes to 47 in favour of a resolution limiting the possibility of war against Iran without the consent of Congress. Four Republicans voted for, against, among others, Democrat John Fetterman.

That doesn't end the case, because the document is waiting for a difficult road in the House of Representatives and then possible veto of the President. However, the political signal is clear: some U.S. Senators do not want the escalation around Iran to be conducted solely by a White House decision.

Ormuz is no longer just a strait

For decades, the United States has been the main guarantor of freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf. Today, this order is not broken by one spectacular closure of the Ormuz Strait, but by a series of actions imposed on each other: the American blockade of traffic to Iranian ports, routes designated by Tehran, insurance pressure on shipowners and exceptions agreed for selected states.

As a result, this route is not closed, but it has ceased to be a regular shipping route. It has become a place where oil flows are decided not only by shipowners and the market, but also by insurers, maritime administrations and governments of countries controlling access to the strait.

That is why the transition of three Asian supertankers does not mean the end of the crisis. Rather, it means that a newcontrol modelOver the Ormuz Strait. Not a complete blockade, but a hybrid focus on maritime transport, oil market and shipping safety.