UNCLOS and the Right of Transit Passage
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), adopted in 1982, governs navigation through international straits. Part III of UNCLOS (Articles 34–45) establishes the regime of transit passage specifically for straits used for international navigation, such as the Strait of Hormuz.
- Article 37 designates international straits where transit passage applies — including Hormuz, Malacca, Gibraltar, Dover, and Bab-el-Mandeb.
- Article 38 grants all ships and aircraft the right of continuous and expeditious transit passage through such straits; this right cannot be suspended by the coastal state, unlike innocent passage.
- Transit passage applies even to submarines (which may remain submerged) and military vessels, unlike innocent passage which may be regulated or temporarily suspended.
- Iran, though a coastal state, enacted domestic legislation in 1993 requiring prior permission for warships and nuclear-powered vessels — provisions that conflict with UNCLOS.
- The U.S. has never ratified UNCLOS but operationally upholds transit passage rights through Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPs).
● Tracked since June 28, 2026 · last seen September 24, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
06 Sep '26
Iran-US Naval Escalation Renews Focus on the Strait of Hormuz Chokepoint
International Relations
27 Aug '26
Qatar Mediates Iran-Oman Talks on Interim Hormuz Shipping Corridor
International Relations
24 Jun '26
Oman Establishes Temporary Maritime Corridor Through Strait of Hormuz
International Relations
13 Jun '26
Three Indian Seafarers Killed as US Navy Strikes Vessels Near Hormuz
International Relations
18 May '26
Iran Formalizes Control Over Strait of Hormuz With New Regulatory Authority
International Relations
16 May '26
Iran Announces Mechanism to Collect Transit Fees in the Strait of Hormuz
International Relations
15 May '26
Strait of Hormuz Closure Disrupts 18.4 Million Barrels Daily, 110 bcm LNG
International Relations
Plus 43 earlier mentions since June 28, 2026.
International Relations
Strait of Hormuz
International Relations
India's Strategic Petroleum Reserves (SPR)
International Relations
India's Gulf Diplomacy and Diaspora Dimension
International Relations
India's Energy Security and Gulf Dependence
International Relations
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)
International Relations
Maritime Chokepoints
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