“After the ships from East Asian countries, especially China, Japan and Pakistan, passed by, today we received information that negotiations with the navy of the Revolutionary Guards (about free navigation through the strait) have also been started by the Europeans,” said Iranian state television without citing the source or specific European countries.
The chairman of the Security Committee of the Iranian Parliament, Ebrahim Azizí, said on Saturday that Iran has already “prepared a professional mechanism for managing shipping” through the Strait of Hormuz, which should be put into operation soon.
“Only merchant ships and parties cooperating with Iran will benefit from this arrangement,” Azizí emphasized, adding that based on this mechanism, Iran will collect the necessary fees “for specialized services.”
“This route will remain closed to the participants of the so-called Project Freedom,” said Azizí, referring to the temporary American military operation, the aim of which is to escort and protect merchant ships stranded in the Persian Gulf.
In addition, the United States continues its own blockade of Iranian ports, despite the fragile ceasefire that came into effect on April 8.
Tehran announced on Thursday that it had allowed more than 30 Chinese ships to sail “in accordance with Iran’s strait management protocol”. The Iranian authorities allegedly took this step following the requests of the Chinese foreign minister and the ambassador in Tehran.
The news came at the time of US President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing, where the president agreed with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open for the free transportation of key commodities. China is the largest importer of Iranian oil.
In recent weeks, Iran has repeatedly claimed that vessels of countries that do not participate in aggression against it can pass through the Strait of Hormuz after obtaining permission from the Iranian authorities and after coordinating with the Iranian armed forces.
