The message clarifies that "non-hostile" vessels, including those owned or associated with other states, can safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz if they do not engage in aggressive actions against Iran and comply with safety regulations.
On March 25, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that countries such as China, Russia, India, Iraq, and Pakistan had received permission to transit through the strait.
“We have allowed some states that we consider friendly to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. This includes China, Russia, India, Iraq, and Pakistan. We see no reason to allow our adversaries,” Araghchi noted, as reported by the Iranian agency Tasnim.
According to the FT, recently Iran has allowed a limited number of tankers to pass through its waters, likely to inspect them before granting passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Some tankers, mainly Chinese, had previously been able to transit through the strait.
The Strait of Hormuz, connecting the Persian Gulf with the ocean, is a key route for transporting raw materials from the Middle East, accounting for nearly 35% of the world's oil volume and about 20% of liquefied natural gas.
It is worth noting that after the conflict began on February 28 between the USA and Israel on one side and Iran on the other, Tehran blocked the Strait of Hormuz and began attacking vessels passing through it. At least 22 vessels have been attacked since the conflict began, and around 3,200 vessels found themselves blocked in the Persian Gulf, unwilling to risk crossing the strait.
On March 22, US President Donald Trump demanded that Iran open the strait within 48 hours, threatening to attack Iranian power plants otherwise. However, this plan was later canceled in favor of diplomatic negotiations with Tehran.
