Operators of commercial shipping vessels are now seeking clemency from Iran's waterway authority to avoid being banned from the Strait of Hormuz. Shipowners have submitted formal apology letters to the Persian Gulf Waterways Management Authority for using unapproved routes, claiming they were following compulsory orders from charterers. This shift follows a warning that non-compliant charterers will be added to a Non-Compliance List, which would restrict all associated vessels from transiting the waterway.

The crackdown comes as Iran's military warns that ships sailing outside Tehran's designated routes are not safe. Armed Forces spokesman Shekarchi stated that U.S. interference in the strait would be met with a military response, while President Masoud Pezeshkian characterized the closure of the passage as a natural response to U.S. sanctions. Pezeshkian noted that the waterway will remain open for trade only if negotiations resolve the dispute.