Only One Side Has Clearly Broken the Law In the Strait of Hormuz

And it isn’t Iran.

By Maryam Jamshidi

(associate professor of law at the University of Colorado Law School)

April 17, 2026

 

For weeks, much of the world, from the Arab Gulf states to Europe, has accused Iran of violating international law by regulating the passage of and charging fees to ships transiting through the Strait of Hormuz. At the UN Security Council alone, multiple resolutions have been introduced to condemn Iran’s regulatory actions in the Strait. One of those resolutions passed with support from nearly 140 member states. Hours before the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire on April 7, 11 members of the Security Council voted in favor of another resolution, which was ultimately vetoed, that would have condemned Iran for its regulatory actions and authorized every UN member state to go to war against it in order to open the Strait.

By contrast, not a single resolution has been brought before the Council condemning the US/Israel war against Iran. The disparity between these two responses bears little relationship to the fact that only one side has unequivocally broken international law—and it isn’t Iran.

The US/Israeli war is indisputably unlawful. It constitutes one of the gravest crimes under international law—the crime of aggression. The legality of Iran’s regulation of the Strait is, however, less clear-cut. Though Iran has not formally blockaded the Strait, it required ships to coordinate with it and abide by its regulatory regime in order to pass through during the war and ceasefire. It outright forbade US and Israeli-linked ships from transiting. As of today, it appears Iran is allowing all commercial ships, with the possible exception of those linked to the US and Israel, to pass through the Strait for the duration of the 10-day Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, though ships must still use a “coordinated route” that passes close to Iran’s coast. Iran has also reportedly charged a fee to some passing ships. Unlike the United States, Iran can make a reasonable case that it is within its rights to do all these things under international law.

Read more: https://www.thenation.com/article/world/iran-strait-of-hormuz-international-law/

German translation: https://afsaneyebahar.com/2026/04/21/20706955/

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See also:

Iran’s Legal Strategy in Hormuz

Law of the Sea Considerations and Rules of Naval Warfare

By Soheil Golchin

April 16, 2026

https://voelkerrechtsblog.org/de/irans-legal-strategy-in-hormuz/

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The Legality of Iran’s Closure of the Strait of Hormuz

By Alexander Lott

March 10, 2026

https://www.ejiltalk.org/the-legality-of-irans-closure-of-the-strait-of-hormuz/

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