Iran says passage through Strait of Hormuz requires its approval

Iran will decide whether ships are allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the chairman of parliament’s National Security Commission has said, according to Middle East Eye.

Ebrahim Azizi said no party could reopen the strategic waterway without Iran’s consent. His remarks presented Tehran as the authority determining whether vessels could transit the strait, although the report provided no further details about how that position would be implemented or which vessels it would cover.

Azizi also claimed that Iran’s adversaries had moved more than 800 kilometres away from the region after previously maintaining a military presence there. The Middle East Eye report did not identify the countries or forces to which he was referring, nor did it provide details about the alleged withdrawal.

According to Azizi, those adversaries subsequently resorted to “malicious actions” after failing to “unlock” the Strait of Hormuz. No additional information was given about the actions he alleged, the parties involved or the circumstances surrounding their efforts concerning the waterway.

The lawmaker further said Iran had inflicted “the strongest blows” on the sites it targeted. The source material did not specify the locations, timing or nature of those targets, and it did not include any independent assessment of his claim.

Azizi’s comments linked Iran’s position on maritime passage with his account of a retreat by opposing forces and subsequent actions by those parties. His statement emphasised that Tehran viewed consent from Iran as a prerequisite for restoring or permitting traffic through the strait.

Middle East Eye reported the remarks in a live-blog update. The account contained no response from the adversaries mentioned by Azizi and offered no further information about the current status of vessel movements through the Strait of Hormuz.

Reporting attribution: based on reporting by Middle East Eye — original source: https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/iran-says-no-one-can-reopen-strait-hormuz-without-its-consent.