Shafaq News- Tehran (Updated at 11:27)

Tehran redirected five ships attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz after they deviated from the designated navigation channel, Iranian state television (IRIB) reported on Monday.

The broadcaster noted that the pre-designated safe shipping lane is the only approved route through the strategic maritime gateway. It also disclosed that a vessel had been involved in an incident in the Strait but did not identify the ship or provide further details.

Shipping intelligence firm Kpler found that traffic through the Gulf passage had declined, with commercial vessels continuing to avoid the major energy route. Fewer than 10 cargo ships carrying goods crossed the corridor each day over the weekend.

Iraq’s oil exports, however, continued to move through the Gulf despite the wider disruption. The data showed that two very large crude carriers carrying Iraqi and Emirati crude passed through the gatway. Several tankers also left the Red Sea carrying Saudi, Emirati and Russian crude shipments bound for China, while another vessel transported Saudi crude to Pakistan.

On Sunday, an oil tanker exploded after striking a sea mine in the Strait of Hormuz after deviating from a shipping route designated by Iran. The vessel's identity and flag remain undisclosed.

Senior Iranian officials have maintained that Tehran has the authority to regulate navigation through the strategic waterway. Iran's deputy foreign minister previously indicated that Tehran had informed Oman of its decision to alter shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz, adding that conditions in the waterway "would not return to how they were before the war."