Photo : Reuters / Yonhap News
Iran says it will allow “non-hostile vessels” to pass through the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with its authorities after effectively shutting down the key shipping route in an ongoing war with the U.S. and Israel.
In a letter sent to the International Maritime Organization(IMO) on Tuesday, according to the Financial Times, Tehran’s foreign ministry said it had taken “necessary and proportinate measures” to prevent an exploitation of the strait by the “aggressors and their supporters.”
Iran said vessels linked to the U.S. and Israel, as well as “other participants in the aggression” do not qualify for “non-hostile passage,” indicating that it does not intend to give up control of the waterway, despite warnings from U.S. President Donald Trump.
In fact, the Iranian parliament is reportedly seeking to enact a law that aims to charge fees for a safe transit, and its speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, posted on X that the situation surrounding the strait will not return to its “pre-war status.”
Amid the exacerbating situation, the IMO convened an emergency session last week for a discussion on ways to open a humanitarian route to assist vessels pass through the Persian Gulf.