Iran has allowed ships carrying humanitarian aid to pass through the Strait of Hormuz
5 April 02:17
Iranian authorities have allowed ships carrying humanitarian aid to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. This was reported on Saturday, April 4, by the Iranian state news agency Tasnim. The strait is open to vessels carrying essential goods bound for ports in Iran or the Gulf of Oman, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
According to the Qatari television channel Al Jazeera, Tehran will soon classify countries as “hostile,” “neutral,” and “friendly.” Ships from “hostile” states will be prohibited from passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Ships from “neutral” countries, in turn, will have to pay a special fee, Al Jazeera reports.
The day before, the United Kingdom organized a meeting with more than 40 representatives of U.S. allies in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East to discuss plans to lift the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. According to Reuters, the meeting participants agreed that Tehran should not be allowed to impose a fee for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
On March 25, Iran allowed ships from “friendly” countries—Russia, China, Pakistan, India, and Iraq—to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
Reuters: U.S. intelligence believes Tehran will not lift the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz
Earlier, Reuters reported, citing sources, that according to U.S. intelligence assessments, Iran is unlikely to open the Strait of Hormuz in the near future, as control over the world’s most critical oil export route is the only real lever of pressure on the United States.
According to the agency’s sources, Tehran will likely continue to block shipping in the strait to keep energy prices high and thereby put pressure on U.S. President Donald Trump.
U.S. intelligence believes that a war aimed at undermining the Islamic Republic’s military power could backfire and strengthen Iran’s influence in the region by virtue of its control over a key waterway for oil transport, Reuters notes.
