30+ Ships Including Chinese-Linked Vessels Transit Hormuz Overnight Under Iran's 'Cooperative' Passage Framework; Aref: Strait 'Belongs to Iran at Any Price' — Day 77

More than 30 ships — including vessels linked to Chinese companies — were allowed to transit the Strait of Hormuz overnight May 14–15, 2026, as Tehran signaled that the waterway was 'open to all commercial ships' that cooperate with Iranian naval forces. The limited resumption of passage came after weeks of near-total blockade and follows the Trump-Xi joint statement (May 14) that Hormuz 'must remain open.' However, the terms are unilaterally Iranian: ships must notify and coordinate with IRGC naval command and agree to comply with Iranian 'management' directives — precisely the arrangement Rubio has said the US 'cannot accept.' Iran's Senior Vice President Mohammadreza Aref sharpened Tehran's sovereignty claim the same day, stating the Strait of Hormuz 'belongs to Iran' and would not be surrendered 'at any price.' Iran's judiciary also claimed the legal right to seize oil tankers connected to the United States for alleged violations of international maritime law. The overnight transit of 30+ vessels — while representing a small fraction of the ~1,600 ships stranded since the blockade — is the largest single-night movement through the strait since the IRGC imposed its formal maritime control zone on May 4. However, the China-linked passage appears to reflect Beijing's special diplomatic relationship with Tehran rather than a general opening; ships without a favorable geopolitical profile have not been cleared.