TEHRAN -- Iran continues to exercise decisive control over the Strait of Hormuz, with maritime tracking data indicating that commercial vessels are still using a designated northern shipping corridor set by Tehran while avoiding a southern route promoted by the United States.
An informed source, quoted by Iranian media on Monday, said that six vessels attempting to transit through an unauthorized and unsafe route were confronted by Iranian forces. 
The source said the vessels had switched off their navigation and positioning systems while attempting to use the southern passage of the Strait of Hormuz in violation of established regulations.
“One of the vessels faced an incident, while the remaining ships were firmly managed by Iran and redirected back into the Persian Gulf,” the source said, adding that the episode demonstrated Iran’s continued authority over maritime movement through the strategic waterway.
The report said the designated shipping lane through the Strait of Hormuz remains the only authorized route for transit and warned that vessels attempting to cross through other passages could face risks.
Maritime intelligence data also indicated that international commercial traffic has continued to follow the route designated by Iran. 
According to data from maritime intelligence group Marisks, nearly all vessels crossing the Strait of Hormuz over the past several days used the northern corridor, while none used the southern route near Oman promoted by the United States.
Marisks reported that 78 vessels were observed transiting the strait since Saturday, including 20 Iranian-flagged ships. All 58 foreign commercial vessels recorded during the period used the Iranian-designated route, while no commercial transit was recorded through the southern corridor.
The company said automatic identification system (AIS) data showed that “all identified traffic” continued to prefer the northern route despite political and sanctions-related pressures. 
It added that movements near the southern corridor involved local Emirati vessels and maritime support operations rather than international commercial shipping.
Another maritime intelligence group, Windward, reported that only seven passages through the Strait of Hormuz were recorded on Sunday, with all of them using the northern route.
Iran has established a specific maritime corridor for vessels crossing the chokepoint while warning against the use of unauthorized routes. Washington has been attempting to escort vessels through an alternative southern passage.
Iranian officials highlighted the legal and strategic importance of the waterway. Ali Khazarian, a member of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said Oman could not independently establish shipping arrangements in the Strait of Hormuz without coordination with Iran.