Iran says ‘non-hostile’ ships can pass safely through Strait of Hormuz

DUBAI — Iran will “absolutely” keep charging countries and vessels a fee for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Iranian official said, referring to the vital waterway that Iran has effectively closed to global shipping. “A series of measures is in place for passage through the Strait of Hormuz due to the war situation imposed on Iran,” said Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei, in an interview with India Today on Tuesday night. “Other states that have nothing to do with this act of aggression may pass through the Strait of Hormuz after the necessary coordination with Iranian authorities, to ensure that passage is conducted safely and securely,” he added. His comments came after Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a letter to the UN Security Council and the International Maritime Organization saying that “non-hostile vessels” may transit the Strait of Hormuz if they coordinate with Iranian authorities, Reuters reported. In a statement on Tuesday, Iran’s mission to the United Nations said vessels may avail of “safe passage” through the waterway, “provided that they neither participate in nor support acts of aggression against Iran and fully comply with the declared safety and security regulations.” Traffic through the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s oil output normally flows, has been severely curtailed since the start of the conflict three weeks ago. Meanwhile, Iran turned back a Pakistan-bound container vessel attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, citing a “lack of permission” and failure to comply with maritime protocols. According to Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy, the vessel identified as SELEN was intercepted and forced to turn back after it failed to meet required legal conditions for transit. “The container ship SELEN was turned back by the IRGC Navy due to its failure to comply with legal protocols and lack of permission to pass through the Strait of Hormuz,” he said. Tangsiri added that passage through the narrow waterway requires “full coordination with Iran’s maritime authority”, framing the action as an assertion of national sovereignty. — Agencies