Iran’s parliament has approved a formal toll and access regime for the Strait of Hormuz, while a fully loaded Kuwaiti VLCC has been attacked and set on fire at anchor off Dubai port on day 32 of the war between the US/Israeli coalition and Iran. Iran’s Parliament Security Committee has approved a sweeping management plan for the Strait of Hormuz that goes far beyond wartime disruption, according to Iranian state broadcaster IRIB. The proposal introduces transit fees denominated in Iranian rials, new security and environmental provisions, and explicitly bars vessels linked to the US, Israel and countries that have imposed unilateral sanctions on Iran from passage. Access is conditional, selective, and increasingly political Greece’s Xclusiv Shipbrokers commented in its latest weekly report: “The Strait of Hormuz is no longer simply a chokepoint. It is gradually being reshaped into a controlled corridor where access is conditional, selective, and increasingly political.” What began as a wartime disruption is now evolving into what Xclusiv said was a structural shift, with Iran attempting to formalise its influence over one of the most critical arteries of global energy trade. “The introduction of an ‘approved passage’ system signals a transition from disruption to governance – albeit one that challenges long-standing norms of free navigation,” Xclusiv noted. The diplomatic implications of a rial-denominated toll system are considerable. Any shipowner or charterer paying Iranian transit fees risks accusations of sanctions violations under Western frameworks, while declining to pay risks being denied passage altogether. Against that backdrop, the physical attacks of the past 24 hours have demonstrated the continuing kinetic dimension of the crisis. Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) confirmed that a second ship in its fleet had been attacked. The laden Kuwaiti-flagged VLCC Al-Salmi, a 319,660 dwt vessel built in 2011 and operated by Kuwait Oil Tanker Co, was attacked by Iranian forces at approximately 00:10 local time on March 31 while at anchor in the anchorage area of Dubai port, approximately 31 nautical miles northwest of the city. The attack caused hull damage and triggered a fire onboard, with the potential for an oil spill in surrounding waters. “Emergency response and firefighting teams were immediately mobilised and are currently working to contain and control the situation in close coordination with the relevant authorities,” KPC said. All 24 crewmembers were reported safe. In what has become a common protective measure, the ship was broadcasting a Chinese destination on AIS at the time of the attack, a tactic vessels have adopted in an attempt to avoid Iranian targeting. The 10,000 teu containership Express Rome, owned by Greek company Danaos and flagged in Liberia, experienced two unknown projectiles splashing down close to the vessel yesterday while 22 nautical miles from Ras Tanura in Saudi Arabia. The crew was reported safe. The attacks come as the Houthi threat to a second chokepoint intensifies. The Iranian-backed Yemeni group fired its first missiles of the conflict last weekend and has warned explicitly that vessels seen as supporting the war will be targeted in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait – through which Saudi Arabia has been routing crude since Hormuz effectively closed. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1_95_0_1_2'); }); TagsIran