Ceasefire can’t get oil, prices drop—so Iran only allows 12 ships per day and even charges excessive toll fees.

The Strait of Hormuz after a ceasefire is not returning to normal—it is swapping in a new set of control rules: Iran is capping daily passage to about 12 ships and forcing transit fees. The Wall Street Journal reports that an Arab mediator said Tehran is using the ceasefire agreement to lock in long-term benefits from waterway control it seized during wartime, plunging global energy markets into yet another round of turbulence.
(Follow-up context: Trump threatened “to destroy everything,” which Iran refused to accept a ceasefire over; Polymarket predicts a 99% probability: will U.S. forces invade and start a war at the end of April?)
(Background add-on: Signs that the Strait of Hormuz is being reopened? Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Non-hostile ships have already passed smoothly after “coordination”)

Table of contents

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• Day 1 of the ceasefire: 4 ships approved to pass
• Revolutionary Guards broadcast warning: unauthorized passage faces destruction
• Trump calls for “unlimited opening,” Iran is unmoved
• Gulf oil producers and Euro-Asia energy consumers share the shock

Twelve ships per day, mandatory charges, and coordination with the Revolutionary Guards before transiting—these are the new rules for the Strait of Hormuz after the ceasefire, a stark contrast to the pre-war norm of more than a hundred ships passing each day.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Arab mediators revealed Iran has formally notified all parties that it will set the daily upper limit for the number of ships transiting the strait at about 12, and that it requires vessels to pre-agree on fee arrangements. According to information available, the rate Iran is offering is a $1 transit fee per barrel of oil, and it accepts payment in cryptocurrency.

Day 1 of the ceasefire: 4 ships approved to pass

Numbers tell the whole story. According to data compiled by S&P Global Market Intelligence, on the first Wednesday after the two-week ceasefire deal was reached between the U.S. and Iran, only four ships were approved to pass that day—setting the lowest single-day record since April; meanwhile, on the first day the ceasefire agreement took effect, it was only about 15 ships. By contrast, before the war this waterway carried more than 100 ships per day, with transport volumes exceeding 20 million barrels of oil, accounting for more than 20% of the world’s daily consumption.

The reporter noted that Iran’s arrangement is not accidental, but the institutionalization of wartime profits: during the conflict, Iran effectively took control of this most crucial global energy corridor by striking ships that tried to transit without authorization; now that the ceasefire agreement has landed, Tehran is turning that temporary control into a mechanism for standardized returns.

Revolutionary Guards broadcast warning: unauthorized passage faces destruction

On Wednesday morning, the situation still carried the smell of gunpowder. In a recording shared with the Wall Street Journal by a crew member, Iran used very high frequency (VHF) radio through the Strait of Hormuz to broadcast to all ships in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman: those that pass without Revolutionary Guards Navy authorization would face the risk of being destroyed.

Mediators and shipping brokers confirmed to the publication that ships now must coordinate directly with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps—an auxiliary military force that the United States and the European Union have both designated as terrorist organizations—which has officially become the Strait of Hormuz’s “gatekeeper.”

At the same time, on April 8, Iran’s ports and maritime authorities released a safety navigation route map for the waters of the Strait of Hormuz, reminding ships traveling through the area: during the fighting period from February 28 to April 8, various anti-ship mines may remain within the main navigational routes in the Persian Gulf and the strait; vessels must follow the officially published routes until further notice. The threat from mines further squeezes the space for ships to take independent detours.

Trump calls for “unlimited opening,” Iran is unmoved

The gap between Washington and Tehran’s positions is stark. Trump publicly stated he wants the strait to be “opened without limits,” including without charges; the White House has also continued to present itself as pushing for freedom of navigation. Yet according to the Wall Street Journal, Iran has shown no sign of any willingness to loosen the restrictions so far.

It is worth noting that Trump previously floated the idea of considering a “joint venture” with Iran to jointly manage the strait transit fees; that claim was later played down by the White House, but doubts about the U.S. side’s negotiating bottom line have already surfaced. Mediators said the framework of the ceasefire agreement itself, objectively, creates room for legal justification for Iran’s fee demands.

Gulf oil producers and Euro-Asia energy consumers share the shock

The Wall Street Journal noted that the possibility of Iran permanently intervening in the management of the Strait of Hormuz is making Gulf oil producers that rely on the strait’s export energy, as well as European and Asian consumer countries that depend on these supplies, feel uneasy. Analysts warn that if the current control posture continues, there is a risk of oil prices soaring to $120 to $200 per barrel.

The report points to the deeper logic behind the crisis: Iran is turning a war into a sustainable pressure lever, while also opening a new revenue channel. A ceasefire may not be the end; it is more likely the starting point for new bargaining chips.