Fifteen Turkish-owned vessels remain stranded in the blockaded Strait of Hormuz, Türkiye’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said on Wednesday.
“There are 15 Turkish-owned ships in the Strait of Hormuz,” Uraloğlu said ahead of a meeting with lawmakers.
“We are in contact with all their personnel,” he added.
The minister made the remarks amid an ongoing war in the Middle East, now in its second week, which has already caused unprecedented disruption to regional maritime traffic.
Speaking to reporters, Uraloğlu stressed that Turkish authorities remain in close contact with the crews of the 15 stranded vessels.
“They are at a waiting point,” he said. “Their only difficulty is being there. Otherwise, there is no problem meeting their needs.”
Since 28 February, when Israel and the U.S. launched a joint military attack on Iran, Tehran has effectively closed the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman.
On Thursday, Iran’s military declared that it was in full control of the strait and would not allow any vessels associated with the U.S. or its “partners” to transit the vital waterway.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most critical chokepoints for the transport of fossil fuels.
Under normal circumstances, roughly 20 per cent of the world’s oil shipments - along with a significant share of liquefied natural gas exports - pass through the strait every day.
Major regional oil and gas producers - including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates - rely heavily on the waterway to transport energy supplies to global markets.
The ongoing regional war has sparked fears that the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz could trigger global energy price spikes and further destabilise an already volatile Middle East.
On Thursday, the International Energy Agency said the conflict - which shows little sign of ending soon - had already caused the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market.
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Iran on Saturday denounced U.S. plans to announce new sanctions that could put further strain on the Islamic Republic's economy and have an impact on its most important trading partners including China.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that Kyiv wants peace but will not surrender to Russia, as foreign leaders joined Independence Day events marking 35 years since Ukraine’s independence.
A newly created pro-government political party has secured a commanding victory in Kazakhstan's snap parliamentary election, according to exit polls, strengthening President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's influence at a pivotal moment in the country's political transition.
Only four commodity vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, following 13 transits a day earlier, as disruptions continue to restrict traffic through the key energy chokepoint.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected calls for a wartime election, arguing that holding a vote while Russia's full-scale invasion continues would divide the country and undermine national unity.
Syrian and Israeli officials held U.S.-brokered talks in Jordan on Sunday to ease tensions after an Israeli strike on a Syrian airbase near Türkiye last week.
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