Iran has asserted expanded control over the Strait of Hormuz, publishing a map showing its claims extending into the coastal waters of the United Arab Emirates and Oman, and holding talks with Oman about sharing fees from ships traversing the waterway.

The move was denounced on Friday as unacceptable by US Secretary of State Mario Rubio, who urged all countries to oppose it, and prompted a letter of protest from five Gulf states. US President Donald Trump on Thursday stressed, “We want [the Strait of Hormuz] open, we want it free. We don’t want tolls. It’s an international waterway.”

Iran’s newly created Persian Gulf Strait Authority announced the new arrangements on Wednesday, declaring there would henceforth be a “controlled maritime zone” at the strait.

The authority set the zone as the “line connecting Kuh-e Mobarak in Iran and southern Fujairah in the UAE at the eastern side of the strait, to the line connecting the end of Qeshm Island in Iran and Umm Al Quwain in the UAE at the western side of the strait,” and published a map of the designated area in both English and Persian.

“Transit in this zone for passage through the Strait of Hormuz requires coordination with the Persian Gulf Strait Authority and permission from this entity,” it declared.

On Friday, The New York Times reported that Iran has been holding talks with Oman on charging fees from ships that traverse the strait, with the US-allied Gulf state potentially sharing in the profits, despite Washington’s insistence that freedom of navigation be restored to the blockaded waterway.

A new map published Persian Gulf Strait Authority details the regulatory jurisdiction defined by the Islamic Republic of Iran for the management of the Strait of Hormuz. Explore: https://t.co/fjvXiMemat pic.twitter.com/CxVEAoMway Advertisement if(typeof rgb_remove_toi_dfp_banner != "function" || !rgb_remove_toi_dfp_banner("#Article_Incontent1")){ window.tude = window.tude || { cmd: [] }; tude.cmd.push(function() { if(navigator.userAgent.indexOf("rgbmedia-app") > -1){ tude.setDeviceType("mobile"); } tude.refreshAdsViaDivMappings([ { divId: 'Article_Incontent1', baseDivId: 'Article_Incontent1', } ]); }); } — Soar (@SoarAtlas) May 21, 2026

A new map published Persian Gulf Strait Authority details the regulatory jurisdiction defined by the Islamic Republic of Iran for the management of the Strait of Hormuz.

Explore: https://t.co/fjvXiMemat pic.twitter.com/CxVEAoMway

— Soar (@SoarAtlas)........

© The Times of Israel