Iran threatens oil tankers in Strait of Hormuz with 'forceful response'

Iran's joint military command has warned oil tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz to use its approved route or face a "forceful response".

The warning on Thursday, July 2 comes amid ramped up tensions over the critical oil supply waterway.

The strait has been a key issue of negotiations to end the Iran war, which sparked after the US and Israel carried out joint strikes on several key Iranian sites on February 28.

The statement from the Khatam al-Anbiya military command, reported by Iranian state television, comes after both US and Iranian diplomats met with mediators on Wednesday in Qatar.

It is unclear what prompted Iran's warning on Thursday about oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

The US military's Central Command, however, had put out a statement about a meeting with officials from Middle Eastern nations in Bahrain that said "leaders underscored their shared commitment to the free flow of commerce through" the strait.

That could have been the phrase that angered Iran.

The Iranian statement said: "Any failure to comply, deviation from the designated route, or disregard for the navigation protocols of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Strait of Hormuz will be met with an immediate and forceful response from the armed forces, endangering the security of the violating vessels."

It also said that interference by US forces in the strait "will be met with a rapid and decisive reaction."

Iran and the US agreed to allow ships to pass without paying charges for 60 days, as part of an interim deal. But Tehran insisted it must control the routes of the vessels and later charge fees for passage.

The US and many Gulf Arab states say they will not agree to Iran charging for passage through the strait, which would upend decades of practice in the waterway.

An effort by Oman and a United Nations agency to launch a new route near Oman's shore sparked attacks across the Mideast last weekend.

Despite the attacks, ship traffic in the strait continued to rebound.

At least 258 ships transited the waterway last week, according to marine data and analysis company Lloyd's List Intelligence, up from 138 ships the previous week.

Traffic in the strait remains far below levels seen before the war, when about 130 vessels passed through daily.