Iran claimed it will allow “non-hostile” ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, but vowed to exclude US and Israeli vessels — as President Trump said negotiations are going well after securing a “very significant prize” from Tehran.
In an address to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on Tuesday, Tehran told the world that ships can still sail the Strait of Hormuz so long as they are “in co-ordination with Iranian authorities,” the Financial Times reported.
Tehran, however, said that ships linked to the US and Israel, as well as “other participants in the aggression, do not qualify for innocent or non-hostile passage.”
The Islamic republic has effectively kept the Strait of Hormuz shut down since the war began, sealing away a key global trade route that oversees the shipment of 20% of the world’s oil supply.
Iran has repeatedly stated that only its enemies and their allies will be attacked along the strait, with Tehran striking some 20 ships that have attempted to cross the waters in the days after the war began.
The conflict has left some 2,000 ships stuck in the waters near the Strait of Hormuz, according to the IMO, creating a crisis in a route that saw about 130 ships sail through it every day.
Despite the closure, only about 90 ships have been able to transit the strait.
“[Tehran has] taken necessary and proportionate measures to prevent the aggressors and their supporters from exploiting the Strait of Hormuz to advance hostile operations against Iran,” Iran’s foreign ministry said, according to the FT.
It remains unclear what exactly will change to allow passage through the strait, but several outlets inside Iran report that lawmakers are moving to create a toll system, similar to how Egypt controls the Suez Canal.
Iran’s move to exert further control on the Strait of Hormuz comes as Trump said negotiations were moving smoothly with Tehran, with the president claiming that the Islamic regime sent him a “present” as a show of good will.
“It was a very significant prize, and they gave it to us, and they said they were going to give it. So that meant one thing to me, we’re dealing with the right people,” he said of the Iranian negotiators.
He clarified it is not nuclear-related but did say it was “oil and gas related,” and tied to the Strait of Hormuz.
Despite Trump’s repeated stating that his administration is in talks with Iran, the Islamic Republic has denied that any such negotiations are taking place, accusing the president of trying to ease worries in the stock market and oil industry.
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