30 more ships transit Strait of Hormuz after coordinating with the Iranian navy, Iran state TV claims

Roughly 30 more vessels were transiting the Strait of Hormuz Thursday in coordination with Iran’s naval forces, Iranian state TV says.

The ships all began traveling through the vital shipping lane Wednesday and they were expected to complete their transits by Thursday evening local time, according to the report.

The owners and captains of the ships were said to be in contact with the naval forces of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which was ensuring the vessels stuck to routes designated by the IRGC. Those routes pass very close to an island in the far north of the strait, near Iran’s coast, which the regime is believed to be using as a de facto toll booth to collect fees for passage.

While the U.S. has enforced a blockade of Iranian ports and vessels, Iran has said it will attack any ship that attempts to transit the strait without coordinating with its military.

The ownership of the vessels Iran claims are moving through the waterway on Thursday was not clear, and if they are Iranian owned or carrying Iranian energy products, they may be targeted for interception or seizure by U.S. forces as part of the American blockade.

Several oil tankers have passed through the waterway in recent days, according to Iran. South Korea confirmed that one of its tankers transited the strait this week, in coordination with Iranian authorities.