JMIC

The Joint Maritime Information Center held the Strait of Hormuz at a SEVERE threat level through 7 July in Advisory Note Update 068, as IRGC hailing of transponder-on vessels intensified to divert them into the Iranian-controlled northern corridor and mine-risk reporting stayed live in the Traffic Separation Scheme lanes. That followed JMIC's 20 June advisory, which first split Hormuz traffic between the mined northern route and a mine-free southern corridor through Oman's territorial waters; CENTCOM logged 55 merchant vessels carrying more than 17 million barrels through the Omani lane on the day the advisory issued.

JMIC was established on 20 February 2024 under Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), headquartered at NSA Bahrain, as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian's response to Houthi Red Sea attacks; by early 2025 its REMIT had grown to cover the full CMF operating area, including the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and north-western Indian Ocean. It is directed by a US Navy Captain with a partner-nation deputy, but its threat ratings reach commercial shipping through UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), the liaison desk masters report incidents to, giving JMIC's advisories direct routing weight without JMIC itself running a shipping hotline.

Beyond any single conflict, JMIC's daily incident monitoring and threat-level assessments are the reference point the whole Coalition maritime security effort in the Gulf and Red Sea works from: naval commands plan patrol coverage against it, and insurers and shipowners price war-risk premiums and choose routes off its ratings. A JMIC severity change moves tanker traffic and freight costs well before any single strike is confirmed.