U.S. issues new guidance for vessels in Strait of Hormuz amid Iran tensions in International Shipping News 11/02/2026 The United States issued fresh guidance on Monday to commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz as tensions continue between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear program. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration advised American-flagged commercial vessels to maintain maximum distance from Iranian territorial waters while navigating through this key shipping lane for Middle East oil supplies. According to the guidance posted on the department’s website, vessels should “remain as far as possible from Iran’s territorial sea without compromising navigational safety.” The advisory also instructs crews to verbally decline if Iranian forces request permission to board. However, if Iranian forces do board a U.S.-flagged commercial vessel, the crew is advised not to forcibly resist the boarding party. Iran has previously threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, part of which falls within its territorial waters. The country has occasionally seized commercial ships and oil tankers in the area, claiming smuggling violations. This guidance comes as diplomatic efforts continue between the two nations. On Friday, Iran’s top diplomat stated that nuclear talks with the U.S., mediated by Oman, were off to a promising start and would continue. While both countries have expressed willingness to revive diplomatic discussions regarding Tehran’s nuclear dispute with the West, Washington has indicated it also wants the talks to address Iran’s ballistic missiles, support for regional armed groups, and human rights issues. Source: Investing.com 2026-02-11 hellenicshippingnews... window.___gcfg = {lang: 'en-US'}; (function(w, d, s) { function go(){ var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], load = function(url, id) { if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;} js = d.createElement(s); js.src = url; js.id = id; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }; load('//connect.facebook.net/en/all.js#xfbml=1', 'fbjssdk'); load('https://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js', 'gplus1js'); load('//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js', 'tweetjs'); } if (w.addEventListener) { w.addEventListener("load", go, false); } else if (w.attachEvent) { w.attachEvent("onload",go); } }(window, document, 'script')); tweet Share