Iran’s foreign minister said
Tehran (dpa) — Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday that the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is caused by the United States, not Iran.
“The Strait of Hormuz is now suffering first and most from the US aggression and the blockade that they have imposed on it,” Araghchi told the state broadcaster Press TV on the sidelines of the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi.
As far as Iran is concerned, the waterway is open for all commercial vessels as long as they “cooperate with our Navy forces,” he said.
Araghchi said the current situation could be defused by the lifting of the “illegal blockade” by the US.
Shortly after the war began at the end of February, Iran’s armed forces took control of the Strait of Hormuz, which plays a central role in global energy trade. Threats, checks and attacks on ships brought traffic in the critical waterway largely to a standstill, sending energy and fuel prices around the world soaring.
Iran’s foreign minister said
Tehran consistently emphasizes that the strait is not blocked, although shipping companies must coordinate with Iranian contact points before being allowed to pass through a corridor near the Iranian coast in exchange for high fees. International law experts say this violates the right of transit passage. Iranian sources have also said the strait is mined.
In mid-April, the US imposed a naval blockade on ships travelling to and from Iranian ports in an effort to cut off the country’s oil revenues.
Last week, US President Donald Trump attempted to reopen the strait to shipping traffic with the military mission “Operation Freedom,” but halted the operation two days later, citing diplomatic efforts.
Military tensions in the Strait of Hormuz have remained high despite a ceasefire in the conflict entering into force in early April. Attacks and exchanges of fire between US and Iranian forces have threatened to reignite the conflict.
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