Indian oil tanker turned back in Strait of Hormuz as Iran rejects Omani shipping corridor

An Indian oil tanker was reportedly turned back while attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz through a temporary maritime corridor along the Omani coast, according to Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency. The report claimed the vessel was instructed to abandon the Omani route and instead navigate through a shipping lane designated by Tehran.

According to Fars, the tanker attempted to use the temporary corridor announced by Oman but was directed to turn back. The agency further reported that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been issuing radio warnings to commercial vessels, asking them not to use the Omani corridor and instead sail through the route approved by Iran.

Fars also reported that ship-tracking data from Wednesday morning indicated that all vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz had followed the Iranian-designated shipping lane rather than the temporary Omani corridor. These claims, however, could not be independently verified.

The temporary maritime corridor was announced on June 24 by Oman in coordination with the United Nations' International Maritime Organization (IMO). The route, which runs close to Oman's coastline, was introduced to facilitate the movement and evacuation of commercial vessels stranded in the Gulf amid heightened regional tensions.

The reported incident comes at a time when security in the Strait of Hormuz remains under close international watch. The narrow waterway is among the world's most critical maritime chokepoints, carrying a major share of global crude oil exports, making any disruption to shipping a matter of global economic concern.

There has been no official confirmation from Indian authorities, Oman, the IMO or the United States regarding the reported incident.