Iran says Hormuz non-compliance list reaches 122 ships

Key Facts

The Iranian Passage Management Authority announced in a statement published by Mehr news agency on October 20, 2026, that the cumulative number of ships on its non-compliance list for the Strait of Hormuz had reached 122, amid attacks on shipping in the strait and surrounding waters. The authority said "122 ships have been added to the list so far," a cumulative tally that includes vessels previously classified as non-compliant with transit rules imposed by Tehran. It added that it had taken action against more than 40 ships it described as violators, according to the agency's account of its statement. The authority had threatened ships it accuses of violating transit rules with detention, seizure or fines, according to earlier reporting by Seatrade Maritime. The announcement comes as the threat to merchant ships in Hormuz remains classified as "severe," according to the U.S. Navy-led Joint Maritime Information Center.

In a review published on October 19, Seatrade counted 122 entries on the Iranian list, representing 121 unique ships after excluding a duplicate vessel name. The website said the Angola Prosperity appeared twice, explaining the difference between the number of entries and the number of ships actually covered by the list. The review also found that at least 39 ships had been struck before being added to the list, meaning the attacks preceded their classification as non-compliant. The listed ships span several shipping activities, with ADNOC-linked vessels on the list including liquefied natural gas carriers and very large crude carriers, according to Seatrade. That group also includes a bulk carrier and a chemical and product tanker, alongside vessels transporting oil and gas.

On maritime attacks, Seatrade recorded more than 20 attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waterways during October, as of its reporting published on the 19th of the month. Incidents reported by Reuters included the sinking of a container ship near the strait, according to maritime officials who spoke to the agency. The officials also reported the sinking of a dry bulk carrier in the area after it was hit by projectiles, in a separate incident from the one involving the container ship. Both ships had been hit by projectiles before sinking, according to the officials' accounts of the 2 incidents carried by Reuters. In its October 14 coverage, the agency cited the Joint Maritime Information Center's assessment in its report issued on Sunday, which places the severe threat level at the second-highest point on its scale.

The backdrop to the maritime tensions includes crude cargoes loaded inside the Gulf, with tanker-tracking data showing Saudi Aramco loaded about 14 million barrels, according to a Reuters report published on September 22. Those cargoes were spread across 7 very large crude carriers, according to the tracking data cited by the agency in its coverage of Saudi crude loading activity. The loading took place on the Sunday before that report was published, inside the Gulf where the tankers were taking on cargoes, according to Reuters. For routes bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, the International Energy Agency estimates available pipeline capacity to divert crude flows at between 3.5 and 5.5 million barrels per day. That estimate appeared in the agency's fact sheet updated in February 2026 and concerns capacity that can be used to redirect crude exports along routes that avoid the strait.

In the oil market, Brent futures fell 0.2% to $109.38 a barrel in early trading on October 20, according to prices reported by Investing.com. Those prices were recorded at 00:36 GMT, at the start of trading on the day the Iranian announcement on the tally of listed ships was published. In an earlier session during the month, on October 8, Brent futures rose 4.13%, according to Reuters coverage of oil prices at the time. The price per barrel in that report was $102.28, as concerns persisted over supplies and attacks on maritime shipping. Supply concerns and attacks during that session coincided with a hurricane threatening U.S. production, another factor the agency cited in the backdrop to rising crude prices.

On next steps, the Iranian Passage Management Authority said in its October 20 statement that 19 ships were in negotiations over their status on the non-compliance list. Those negotiations include efforts to avoid being listed or to have ships removed from the list, according to the authority, which also tied the listing of other vessels to their response to warnings. It said about 30 ships would be added to the list if they failed to respond after receiving those warnings, leaving their addition conditional on the response of the vessels concerned. On the diplomatic front, Abbas Araghchi said in remarks reported by Reuters on October 18 that Washington's acceptance of Tehran's conditions could allow the Strait of Hormuz to reopen within 6 days. He added that talks could resume the following day, linking his proposed timetable for reopening the strait and resuming negotiations to U.S. acceptance of Iranian conditions.