Zolghadr, Ghaani, Araghchi attend mourning ceremonies in Tehran

The Persian Gulf Strait Authority, an Iranian government agency mandated to authorize and regulate maritime transit through the strait of Hormuz, said vessels using routes outside its designated framework will not be covered by safe-passage guarantees, insurance protections or related liability arrangements.

Responding to what it called repeated inquiries, the PGSA said any transit outside its approved routes would be considered unauthorized and would fall outside the authority’s safety assurances.

It added that the consequences of using unauthorized routes would rest with the vessel’s owner, operator and captain.

The statement came after a new ship attack near Hormuz, which US officials told the Wall Street Journal was launched by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and targeted a Singapore-flagged cargo ship.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has temporarily suspended its evacuation operation for ships in the Persian Gulf after a vessel was attacked in the Gulf of Oman, saying it needs to reassess safety guarantees before continuing.

The IMO said several vessels had already been evacuated this week under an operation coordinated with member states and the maritime industry.

IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said he decided to pause the plan “to reconfirm that the necessary safety guarantees continue to be in place for the ships on our evacuation list and all those in the region.”

Dominguez said he had been informed of an attack on a vessel in the Gulf of Oman that had passed through the Strait of Hormuz. He noted that the ship was not operating under the IMO’s evacuation framework but stressed that “the safety of the seafarers remains paramount.”

“To ensure a coordinated approach and navigational safety, the evacuation plan will be paused until further clarity is obtained,” he said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and GCC foreign ministers said in a joint statement on Thursday that "lasting regional peace and security requires addressing the full spectrum of Iran’s threats, including its ballistic missiles, drones, and support of proxies in the region."

The Ministers also emphasized the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, noting that free, unconditional, and unrestricted navigation, including the right of transit passage as guaranteed under international law, remains essential to regional and global security.

The Ministers rejected any tolls, fees, or attempts to assert control over the Strait and welcomed the Sultanate of Oman and the International Maritime Organization’s announcement on the launch of an evacuation plan for over 11,000 seafarers stranded in the region.

The game coincides with Seattle’s Pride weekend after December’s draw placed the two Muslim-majority nations in the same fixture. Egypt and Iran had objected, saying such events clashed with cultural and religious values.

Both countries impose severe ​penalties on LGBTQ+ people.

Under Iran’s Islamic Penal Code consensual same-sex sexual conduct is criminalized and punished by penalties ranging from flogging to the death penalty.

A spokesperson for Iran's football federation told The Athletic that the Iranian federation has relayed to FIFA that it does not wish to see symbols or representations of the “movement” within the stadium, referring to the LGBTQ+ community.

FIFA, however, told the outlet it considers this World Cup to be an “inclusive event” and added that “rainbow flags and other flags representing sexual orientation and gender identity are permitted under the FIFA World Cup 2026 Stadium Code of Conduct.”

FIFA said Seattle’s Pride events are locally organized and not an official “Pride Match.”

The decision contrasts with FIFA’s ban on Iran’s pre-revolutionary “Lion and Sun” flag at World Cup venues, with the governing body saying its rules prohibit political symbols.

Earlier this month, a Los Angeles judge upheld FIFA's ban on the pre-revolutionary Iranian flag following an emergency hearing held hours before Iran's opening match against New Zealand.

The lawsuit, filed by the Institute for Voice of Liberty and Sam Kermanian, an Iran fan intending to go to the game, challenged FIFA's prohibition on the lion-and-sun flag associated with Iran's pre-1979 monarchy.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Curtis A. Kin denied the request to block the ban.

"Free speech is incredibly important, it is sacred, a bedrock of our society, but it is not without limitation, such as private actor, on private property, and as shown by previous cases, regulating in reasonable way. I deny the application," Kin said, according to The Athletic.

The report said that FIFA has deemed the flag political in nature under its stadium code of conduct, which prohibits political, offensive or discriminatory materials at World Cup venues.

IRGC-affiliated outlets report that three tankers that were attempting to pass through a US-declared corridor in Omani waters turned back after receiving warnings from the IRGC.

The vessels were identified as the UAE-owned BLUE STAR I, Japan’s AZUMASAN and the Japan-managed OMEGA TRADER.

The reports said another vessel was later attacked near Oman, though the circumstances and the identity of the attacker were not immediately clear.

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