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Iran has circulated a letter to member countries of the International Maritime Organization saying “non-hostile vessels” can transit the Strait of Hormuz “in co-ordination with Iranian authorities”.
In the letter circulated among IMO members on Tuesday and shared with the Financial Times, Iran’s foreign ministry said Tehran had “taken necessary and proportionate measures to prevent the aggressors and their supporters from exploiting the Strait of Hormuz to advance hostile operations against Iran”.
The critical waterway has been in effect closed to all but a handful of ships since the start of the US-Israel war against Iran on February 28. Previously about a fifth of the world’s oil passed through the strait, as well as the majority of cargo and container ships serving Gulf countries.
About 3,200 ships are stuck in the Gulf, unwilling to risk the transit of the narrow strait, which is just 21 nautical miles wide at its narrowest point. At least 22 vessels have been hit by Iran since the outbreak of the conflict.
The IMO, a UN body that sets international standards for shipping, convened an emergency meeting of its members last week to address the crisis. It is in talks to try and establish a humanitarian corridor to allow ships that are running critically low on supplies to exit the Gulf.
In recent days, ship tracking data has suggested Iran is permitting a small number of ships to pass via a route in its territorial waters. Analysts believe the route allows Iranian authorities to verify vessels’ identities before letting them transit.
Some ships have paid as much as $2mn to Iran to ensure safe passage through the Gulf, according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence and one person with knowledge of the situation.
“All the governments should come forward and try to help solve this situation,” said SV Anchan, chief executive of US-based Safesea Group, whose vessel Safesea Vishnu was attacked on March 11 and was now “beyond repairable”.
Tehran said in the letter that vessels linked to the US and Israel, as well as “other participants in the aggression, do not qualify for innocent or non-hostile passage”.
There is no sign Tehran intends to relinquish its leverage over the waterway, despite threats from US President Donald Trump.
Iranian officials and politicians have suggested that there will be no return to the prewar situation in the Strait of Hormuz even if the current conflict ends.
Iran’s parliament is preparing to introduce new regulations governing traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, according to MP Mansour Alimardani. The proposal remains at an early stage and must first be reviewed by the parliament’s legal department before being presented to MPs. It would then require approval by a majority to become law.
“Iran has always pursued a policy of international co-operation in the Strait of Hormuz, but mounting pressure from illegal sanctions has led the Islamic republic to temporarily restrict cargo passage in order to demonstrate its capability in managing global energy transit,” Alimardani told Mehr News Agency in Tehran.
He explained that the plan had two components: “First, to reciprocate the actions of countries that supported the US sanctions against Iran, and second, to shift transactions from the US dollar to alternative currencies.”
Additional reporting by Jamie John in London
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