Iran has told the United Nations’ maritime organisation that “non-hostile” ships may pass safely through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that has been effectively closed to tankers since the US-Israeli military campaign began last month.
In a letter circulated to members of the International Maritime Organisation on Tuesday, Iran’s ministry of foreign affairs defined non-hostile vessels as those which “neither participate in nor support acts of aggression against Iran” or belong to the US or Israel.
Fearing Iran’s attacks on shipping, tanker operators stopped sending their ships into the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and gas travels in normal times.
In its letter, dated March 22, Iran said it had taken “necessary and proportionate measures to prevent the aggressors and their supporters from exploiting the Strait of Hormuz”.
It is not clear whether the letter will persuade many shipowners to once again travel through the strait. A widespread return may only happen if there is an agreement between the US and Israel and Iran to end the war.
The price of oil tumbled on Wednesday, falling more than 5 per cent, but remains much higher than it was before the war.
Iran’s letter said “the full restoration of security and sustainable stability in the strait is contingent upon the cessation of military aggression and threats”.
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that negotiations were underway with Iran to end the war and that Iran would like “to make a deal”. Iran’s public stance is that negotiations are not taking place, but Iranian officials say Tehran and Washington have been exchanging messages through intermediaries about de-escalating the conflict.
Iran’s letter is intended to signal to the IMO that Iran has not imposed a formal blockade of the strait, said Dimitris Ampatzidis, a senior risk and compliance analyst at Kpler, a maritime data firm.
Strait future
An Iranian military spokesperson said on Wednesday that the situation in the Strait of Hormuz “will not return to what it was”, and that Iran will determine who is allowed to pass through the strategic waterway.
“The authority to issue passage permits is ours,” the spokesperson, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, said in a defiant video statement, adding that the “intensity of the flames” affecting the price of oil is “in our hands”.
“Just as you flee from the prolongation of war,” he said, referring to US-backed negotiation efforts, “the power of our armed forces grow stronger with every passing moment.” In an earlier statement on Wednesday, Zolfaghari said the Americans were “negotiating with yourselves”.
New York Times News Service