The International Maritime Organisation has stated that no country has a legal right to block shipping in straits used for international transit, in what amounts to a direct legal challenge to the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
The UN’s maritime agency cited the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which classifies Hormuz as an international transit strait through which all vessels have the right of unimpeded passage. The statement carries significant weight as it opens a potential legal enforcement pathway against the blockade.
New dimension to the crisis
The IMO’s intervention adds a legal thread to the military and diplomatic dimensions already in play. The US naval blockade has been active since April 13, pushing oil prices above $100 per barrel and disrupting global shipping.
Until now, opposition to the blockade has come primarily from diplomatic channels — with NATO allies refusing to participate, Saudi Arabia pressing Washington to ease restrictions, and Pakistan proposing fresh talks. Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Hormuz.
The IMO statement now provides a framework under international law for challenging the blockade’s legality. For Sri Lanka, which depends on Hormuz transit for fuel imports during an ongoing energy crisis, any mechanism that forces reopening would directly ease supply pressure.
