Strait of Hormuz shipping traffic is effectively at a standstill despite ceasefire- Iran says ships wanting to transit need Iranian permission

[T. A. Gardner]

Iran (via the IRGC Navy) enforces control through a mix of asymmetric and standoff weapons that lightly armed merchant ships cannot defeat:

• Shore- and sea-based missiles, drones, and USVs: Anti-ship cruise/ballistic missiles, armed UAVs, and unmanned surface vessels have already struck or threatened 20+ commercial ships since February 2026.

Low tech systems like Iran deploys are easily counted by current technology. The only time these have worked against ships is when those ships are completely unarmed. That's hardly a threat if the shipping companies started carrying defense systems.

• Mines and fast-attack craft: Persistent mine risks and small-boat swarms remain active threats.

Yea, sure. Maybe you can raise a few off the bottom of the ocean. Puny motorboats with some AK armed rabble aboard would be no threat if a merchant ship had a couple of .50 machineguns or 20mm cannon mounted. What you're calling a threat is really just an amateurish joke because Iran doesn't have the means to produce an actual navy.

• Selective “toll booth” regime: Ships must coordinate via VHF, provide crew/ownership details, pay fees (up to $2 million in some cases), and follow IRGC-mandated routes in Iranian territorial waters. Unauthorized attempts trigger warnings of destruction.

That can easily be ignored. I'm surprised more merchants aren't simply turning off their maritime trackers and moving hugging the coast of the UAE through the straight. Iran has no way to stop that.

Private maritime security companies (PMSCs) offer no defense against these. Merchants lack military-grade sensors, damage control, or firepower. Even WWII-style “armed merchantmen” (with deck guns) were vulnerable to state navies and are irrelevant here.

So does Iran.

That's a joke, not a navy.

 

[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad]

Low tech systems like Iran deploys are easily counted by current technology. The only time these have worked against ships is when those ships are completely unarmed. That's hardly a threat if the shipping companies started carrying defense systems.


Yea, sure. Maybe you can raise a few off the bottom of the ocean. Puny motorboats with some AK armed rabble aboard would be no threat if a merchant ship had a couple of .50 machineguns or 20mm cannon mounted. What you're calling a threat is really just an amateurish joke because Iran doesn't have the means to produce an actual navy.


That can easily be ignored. I'm surprised more merchants aren't simply turning off their maritime trackers and moving hugging the coast of the UAE through the straight. Iran has no way to stop that.


So does Iran.

That's a joke, not a navy.

Please let me know if any ship owners take your suggestions seriously.

 

[Dutch Uncle]

MAGAt plan to open the Strait of Hormuz using the same strategy as the Underpants Gnomes:

 

[QP!]

Lets Make Iran great and rich again and ignore the same regime is in place with even more hardline leadership.

#MAGA
#NoMoreForeignWars
#AmericaFirst
#MakeAlliesPayUpWhilePartneringWithIranToMakeBank

 

[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad]

I anticipate some changes in US foreign policy are imminent.

 

[Dutch Uncle]

Lets Make Iran great and rich again and ignore the same regime is in place with even more hardline leadership.

#MAGA
#NoMoreForeignWars
#AmericaFirst
#MakeAlliesPayUpWhilePartneringWithIranToMakeBank