Recent satellite images and maritime data tracked four oil tankers crossing simultaneously in both directions via the Omani route through the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, 19 September 2026, while at least 22 boats appeared in the centre of the strait heading towards Iranian territorial waters. The route used runs alongside the Musandam Peninsula, and Iran had previously warned vessels against using it.
Images captured by the European Sentinel-2 satellite showed the four tankers moving from the Omani side of the strait in both directions, while no vessels appeared in the Iranian section of the route within the area covered by the analysis. The images also detected a fifth tanker on the Omani route in the Gulf waters, but the image alone was insufficient to confirm that it had crossed the strait.
The four tankers switched off their automatic identification systems
Matching the timing of the satellite images with maritime data showed that the four tankers crossing the Omani side were not operating their automatic identification systems. Switching off the system is intended to avoid revealing the vessels’ actual geographic locations, amid concerns that they could be targeted while crossing.
22 boats detected near Iranian waters
In contrast to the movement of commercial tankers alongside Omani waters, satellite images captured on 19 September showed intense maritime activity off the Iranian coast. At least 22 boats were detected in the centre of the strait, moving towards Iranian territorial waters.
The use of the southern route coincides with talks held by Iran and Oman in recent weeks on establishing a new route for vessels to cross. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a meeting involving Iran, Iraq and the Gulf states was scheduled to discuss the new maritime route and related arrangements. However, the meeting, due to be held in Oman, was later postponed, according to an announcement by Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi on 14 September.
The announcement did not specify an alternative date for the meeting or a particular reason for its postponement, while commercial vessels continued to use the southern route alongside Omani waters. The Joint Maritime Information Centre issued recommendations on 22 June to vessels using this route, urging them to keep their automatic identification systems, radar and navigation lights switched on.
Continuing damage affects vessels in the region
The recommendations also included maintaining radio communications, as part of arrangements aimed at making crossings through the Strait of Hormuz safer. The International Maritime Organisation’s list of confirmed incidents indicates that vessels continue to suffer damage in the region. Five vessels were damaged around the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman during September, while 12 vessels were targeted during August.
The damage follows a wave of attacks on vessels in the region. On 9 September, Iran announced that it had attacked 10 vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, after the United States announced that it had sunk five Iranian oil tankers. Those developments represented one of the largest waves of attacks on maritime traffic since the war began.
Amid political moves linked to the escalation, Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei said in an interview that consultations were continuing with the Qatari and Pakistani mediators, adding that Tehran had informed both sides of the conditions it had set for entering negotiations. Rezaei addressed concerns that the conflict could spread to vital maritime corridors, foremost among them the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
He rejected accusations that Iran was behind any activity in the Bab el-Mandeb, saying that the continuation of the American and Israeli war was driving the region towards greater tension. The Iranian official warned that continued wars could lead to wider disruption to trade flows and energy supplies.
He also linked developments in the Middle East to the Russia-Ukraine war, saying that prolonging conflicts could push the world towards a broader state of insecurity. Rezaei said, according to his assessment, that US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were pushing towards an escalation that could have global repercussions, while consultations continued through the Qatari and Pakistani mediators on the negotiating conditions presented by Tehran.
