Australian officials described Iran’s restrictions on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz as unacceptable in a statement that highlighted threats to civilian shipping and global energy security. The position, delivered during discussions at the International Maritime Organization, aligns with a joint declaration signed by more than 20 nations that demanded Tehran respect navigational rights under international law. Foreign Minister Penny Wong participated in a ministerial call convened by the United Kingdom that focused on diplomatic steps to reopen the strait without further escalation, according to a readout from her department. The Australian government has also sanctioned dozens of Iranian-linked individuals in recent months over related destabilizing activities.
A series of Iranian actions since late February have effectively limited transit through the narrow passage, prompting a sharp drop in oil shipments that the International Energy Agency said reduced flows from a pre-conflict average of around 20 million barrels per day to as low as 2.7 million barrels per day in the initial months. U.S. Energy Information Administration figures show that nearly 20 million barrels of crude oil and petroleum products moved through the strait daily in 2025, equivalent to about 20 percent of global petroleum liquids consumption and more than one-quarter of all seaborne oil trade. The bulk of those volumes head to Asian markets, with China, India, Japan and South Korea accounting for the largest shares, the EIA data places.
Iran has rejected UN-backed proposals for temporary evacuation lanes and insisted that coordination with its Revolutionary Guard forces remains mandatory for any passage, according to statements carried by regional media. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps labeled alternative routes outside official channels as dangerous and prohibited, a stance that has complicated efforts to release vessels trapped in the Gulf since the restrictions began. Tehran has linked any full reopening to broader demands that include sanctions relief and adjustments to its nuclear program, negotiators told mediators in talks that continued into late August.
The restrictions have compounded pressure on global energy markets already strained by the broader conflict that erupted earlier this year between Iran, Israel and the United States. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates redirected some exports via overland pipelines to ports on the Red Sea and Gulf of Oman, yet those bypass routes cover only a fraction of total volumes, an IEA assessment found. Kuwait, Iraq and other Gulf producers similarly adjusted operations, though the cumulative loss in Middle East oil supply exceeded 1.3 billion barrels in the first four months of disruptions, the agency reported.
Australia has participated in multiple international forums pressing for de-escalation, including a March joint statement with European, Asian and Middle Eastern partners that condemned attacks on commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure. That declaration explicitly called on Iran to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2817, which reaffirms freedom of navigation principles under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Penny Wong noted during an April ministerial meeting that Iran’s weaponization of the strait deliberately inflicted economic pain on vulnerable communities far beyond the region, including across the Indo-Pacific.
Global shipping patterns have begun to adjust, with some crude shipments through the strait reaching their highest levels since the conflict started in June once a temporary 60-day agreement took effect, tanker tracking data from Kpler showed. Still, daily sailings remain well below the pre-conflict norm of roughly 125 vessels, and concerns persist that renewed tensions could trigger fresh closures. The Australian government continues to monitor the situation while maintaining its travel advisory against all visits to Iran.
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