Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said on Thursday (21 May) they would allow 31 commercial ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. AnewZ’s Touraj Shiralilou reports from the strategic waterway as it becomes central to peace talks between Iran and the U.S.
The IRGC’s announcement came on the same day that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned there could be no resolution to the conflict with Iran while Tehran continued charging ships fees to use the sea passage.
AnewZ’s Touraj Shiralilou visited the Strait of Hormuz to report on the latest developments.
Traffic through the waterway has fallen to a trickle compared with the 125 to 140 ships that passed through the strait before the war began at the end of February.
Before the conflict started, around a quarter of the world’s seaborne oil shipments passed through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has allowed safe passage through the waterway for a limited number of vessels, provided they pay a navigation fee.
The U.S. began blockading Iranian ports in mid-April in an attempt to pressure Tehran into ending its effective closure of the strait.
However, Iran has doubled down. Earlier this week, the government established the Persian Gulf Strait Authority to manage the waterway and presented a map detailing the geographical area it intends to control.
A senior Iranian source told Reuters on Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz, along with uranium enrichment, remained a major sticking point preventing Tehran and Washington from reaching a peace agreement.
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The United States launched a seventh consecutive night of strikes on Iran as Tehran targeted U.S. allies in the Gulf, while tensions remain high in the Strait of Hormuz.
The U.S. military said it completed a sixth consecutive night of strikes on Iran late on Thursday, targeting logistics infrastructure and maritime capabilities. Iran responded by launching strikes at U.S. bases in neighbouring countries.
The U.S. military announced that it has completed a new wave of strikes against Iranian military targets under U.S. President Donald Trump's orders. The operation targeted command centres, air defence systems, missile and drone facilities, and coastal surveillance sites across multiple locations.
The U.S. has launched fresh strikes on Iran after Tehran targeted a container ship and said it had again closed the Strait of Hormuz. Iran also claimed to have expanded attacks on U.S. military facilities across the Gulf.
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