A trickle of marine traffic was passing through the Strait of Hormuz on Friday despite an attack on a ship in the vital waterway a day earlier, as Iran reiterated its warnings for ships to follow a Tehran-approved route.Limited time: Save 25% on NBC News subscriptionGet exclusive reporting, live Q&As and ad-free reading.A flow of vessels transiting via an alternative route close to Oman in recent days has drawn Iran’s ire, as it works to maintain its grip on the key trade route despite the United States’ assertion that the strait is open.The two sides have been engaged in a public dispute over the future of the waterway as they clash over the terms of their initial deal to end the war, with Iran intent on maintaining its leverage while American and global officials insist transit must be free.At least 37 vessels had transited the strait or are in the process of doing so since Thursday’s incident involving a container ship from Taiwan-based shipping giant Evergreen Marine, an NBC News review of MarineTraffic data showed.Despite Iran’s threats, 20 of those ships had taken a route far south of Iran that hugs the coastline of the United Arab Emirates and bends along Oman’s Musandam Peninsula, avoiding Iranian waters.Iran has warned that it cannot guarantee safety for ships not following a specified route close to the Iranian coastline.Its newly-formed Persian Gulf Strait Authority warned Thursday that such ships will not be covered by safe passage guarantees and warned that any “consequences” will be the responsibility of the vessels and their owners.The International Maritime Organization (IMO), the U.N.’s maritime agency, had coordinated the alternative route.
The body announced a plan this week to evacuate 11,000 sailors, but suspended the operation after the attack on Ever Lovely.00:52Is the Strait of Hormuz open or closed?00:0000:00IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said the struck vessel “did not transit under IMO’s evacuation framewo...