Iran touts regional security bloc, alternative trade to blunt US pressure

Since mid-March, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been running a "tollbooth" under which foreign-flagged vessels undergo a strict vetting process before being allowed to transit through Iranian waters after paying a fee.

Iran maintains the waterway is closed, while Trump claims US control as tensions with Washington escalate.

Oil tankers move again through the Strait of Hormuz.