Iran Proposes 12-Point Management Plan for Strait of Hormuz

Iran has unveiled a comprehensive 12-point strategic management plan for the Strait of Hormuz, signaling a move to transition from a defensive posture to the active, legally codified administration of the critical energy chokepoint. The plan, detailed by the Iranian Parliament’s Construction Commission and supported by the country’s leadership, seeks to establish a new legal framework for vessel transit and regional security in the Persian Gulf.

The initiative follows a period of intense military escalation and a subsequent temporary ceasefire between Iran, the United States, and Israel. On April 30, 2026, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei announced that a new chapter for the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz is unfolding, asserting that the region’s future lies without American presence.

Strategic Shift in Maritime Management

The management plan is described as the most significant challenge to the transit regime in the strait since 1982. By moving the control of the waterway into the realm of domestic law, Tehran is attempting to codify its authority over the passage of global oil supplies, approximately one-fifth of which transit through the strait.

According to reports from the Iranian Parliament’s Construction Commission, the plan involves a series of administrative and legal regulations. These measures are designed to transform the strait from a zone of vigilance into one of structured management. While the full list of 12 points has been circulated through official channels and social media by commission officials, the core objective is the establishment of a legal basis for Iranian oversight of maritime traffic.

Diplomatic Friction and the ‘Sovereignty Trap’

The plan arrives amid stalled negotiations to end the conflict that began in late February 2026. Reports indicate that Iran transmitted a three-phase proposal to the United States via Pakistan between April 25 and April 27, 2026. This proposal sequenced a full ceasefire first, followed by the management and security of the Strait of Hormuz, and finally the resolution of the nuclear file.

Analysis of the proposal suggests that Tehran is attempting to decouple the management of the strait from nuclear negotiations. Some observers have characterized this as a sovereignty claim, noting that the plan may include demands for toll legitimacy or specific transit conditions that challenge international maritime laws, such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The tension reached a peak on April 10, 2026, when the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy declared that Hormuz management had entered a new phase, issuing orders regarding vessels transiting without explicit authorization.

Vision for a Post-American Regional Order

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has framed the new management blueprint as a means to ensure regional stability and economic benefit for all Gulf nations. In a message released on the occasion of National Persian Gulf Day, he argued that the removal of U.S. Influence would lead to a bright future for the waterway.

Today, with two months having passed since the world’s tyrants’ greatest military mobilisation and aggression in the region and America’s humiliating defeat in its own scheme, a new chapter for the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz is unfolding.

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran

The Iranian leadership maintains that the new administrative approach will bring calm and progress to the region. However, the United States has viewed these moves with skepticism, with some reports indicating that the U.S. Has declined proposals to lift naval blockades unless the strait is completely and safely opened.

As of May 2, 2026, the implementation of the 12-point plan remains a central point of contention in the broader diplomatic struggle over the security and sovereignty of one of the world’s most vital maritime corridors.