IMO: No Country Has Authority to Blockade Strait of Hormuz

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) stated on the 13th (local time) that no country has the authority to blockade the Strait of Hormuz. IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez emphasized that under international law, no state has the authority to impede freedom of navigation or the right of innocent passage in international straits.

Amid Iran's control of the Strait of Hormuz and imposition of fees on some vessels since the outbreak of war, the US President had announced the commencement of a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz from the 13th (local time). The IMO Secretary-General expressed concern over this US blockade move, evaluating it as only worsening the situation.

Dominguez pointed out that the introduction of tolls in straits used for international navigation is also a violation of international maritime law and customary law, and could set a very dangerous precedent.