Iran creates new govt agency to control shipping in Strait of Hormuz in International Shipping News 09/05/2026 Iran has created a government agency to vet and tax vessels seeking passage through the crucial Strait of Hormuz, a shipping data company has reported, as Tehran said it was reviewing the latest US proposals for ending the war. The Iranian effort to formalise control over the channel raised new concerns about international shipping, with hundreds of commercial ships bottled up in the Persian Gulf and unable to reach the open sea. Still, hope that the two-month conflict could soon be over buoyed international markets. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei on Thursday said the Islamic Republic was reviewing messages from Pakistan, which is mediating peace negotiations, but Iran “as not yet reached a conclusion, and no response has been given to the US side”, Iranian state TV reported. Late in the day, Iranian state media said the country’s armed forces exchanged fire with “the enemy” on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. It is the largest Iranian island in the Persian Gulf, home to about 1,50,000 people. It also houses a water desalination plant. No other details were reported. The White House and U.S. Central Command did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Semiofficial Iranian news agencies said explosions were heard in southern Iran near Bandar Abbas. The reports from the Fars and Tasnim agencies did not identify the source of the blasts. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed West Asia peace efforts at the Vatican with Pope Leo XIV, whose opposition to the Iran war has led to open sparring with President Donald Trump. The Trump administration has sent mixed messages on its strategy to end the war. A tenuous ceasefire and previous declarations that military operations were over have given way to new threats of bombing if Tehran does not accept a deal that allows for resumption of oil and natural gas shipments disrupted by the conflict. Trump also suspended an attempt by the US military to open a safe passage for commercial ships through the strait, saying the pause would allow more time to reach a peace agreement. An official in Saudi Arabia said Thursday that the kingdom and U.S. ally refused to support Trump’s effort to reopen the strait by force. The ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran has largely held since April 8. But in-person talks between the two countries hosted by Pakistan last month failed to reach an agreement. The war began Feb. 28, when the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran. Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar spoke by phone Thursday with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said. “We expect an agreement sooner rather than later,” Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said Thursday. “We hope the parties will reach a peaceful and sustainable solution that will contribute not only to peace in our region but to international peace as well.” He declined to give a timeline. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, speaking in televised remarks, said Islamabad remained in “continuous contact with Iran and the United States, day and night, to stop the war and extend the ceasefire.” In other regional developments, direct talks between Israel and Lebanon were scheduled to resume next week in Washington, according to a U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss plans for the closed-door meetings.