The International Maritime Organization (IMO) on Tuesday commenced a large-scale evacuation of more than 11,000 seafarers stranded aboard hundreds of vessels in the Persian Gulf, following the provisional ceasefire memorandum signed by the United States and Iran on 18 June. The operation, coordinated with Iran, Oman, other regional coastal states, Washington and the shipping industry, will use two temporary transit corridors through the Strait of Hormuz — one along the Omani coast and one along the Iranian coast — because the traditional traffic separation scheme is deemed unsafe owing to mines. IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said the agency had secured “the necessary safety guarantees” and would contact ships individually to assign a transit day, with daily public reports on departures.

The evacuation unfolds amid sharp disagreement over the future governance of the strait. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, beginning a Gulf tour in the United Arab Emirates, declared that “no country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway,” citing existing international law. Iranian chief negotiator and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf countered that the administration of Hormuz “will never return” to its pre-war status. In a joint announcement, Iran and Oman said they would study a shared administration of the waterway, including the possible recovery of costs for maritime services — a formulation that, according to US officials, could open the door to transit charges Tehran has previously proposed.

A parallel dispute centres on nuclear inspections. President Donald Trump posted on social media that Iran had “fully and totally agreed” to the highest-level IAEA inspections of its nuclear programme, calling it a condition for keeping the strait open. Iranian officials, however, denied any commitment to admit inspectors to sites bombed by US and Israeli forces during the 2025 conflict, and President Masoud Pezeshkian, visiting Pakistan, reiterated that Iran’s defence capabilities — including ballistic missiles — would never be subject to negotiation. The IAEA has not commented, and the contradictory accounts highlight the challenges facing the 60-day window to convert the interim MoU into a permanent settlement.

The strait’s effective closure by Iran after hostilities began on 28 February choked off roughly one-fifth of global seaborne oil and gas shipments, pushing Brent crude above $100 per barrel. Traffic is now resuming: 39 vessels transited on Monday, and at least 172 have crossed since the deal, but the daily average remains well below the pre-war norm of around 130 crossings. More than 200 tankers are still waiting inside the strait, according to ship-tracking data. The evacuation’s success depends on the waterway staying open, a condition linked to the broader ceasefire — already tested by renewed violence in southern Lebanon. Technical working groups established in Switzerland are expected to continue meeting, while Rubio’s Gulf consultations and Pezeshkian’s Islamabad visit signal the diplomatic effort to stabilise the corridor and the wider truce.