Iran Begins Allowing More Ships Through Strait of Hormuz

Iran is beginning to allow more countries to send their ships through the Strait of Hormuz amid heightening pressure from the US and Israel to completely open the crucial waterway.

The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively shut down for the past month, cutting off oil, natural gas, fertilizer, sulfur, and methanol exports from Middle Eastern countries. Furthermore, all inbound ships have been halted, preventing import-dependent nations like Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the UAE from getting access to important materials.

Now, several nations have already gained access to the strait via talks with Iran, and the United States' European allies are also looking to negotiate with Iran after Trump told them to "get [their] own oil." Trump has maintained that the US does not need the Strait of Hormuz and is simply fighting to destroy the regime, but his administration and Israel continue to ramp up pressure on Iran to reopen the strait.

So far, Iran has allowed at least 12 countries to send goods through the strait, and more are requesting negotiations.

China, Pakistan, and Russia, as close Iranian allies, obtained permission for their ships to pass through several weeks ago, and India – a nation known for its neutrality – soon followed. Malaysia, Thailand, and Sri Lanka later achieved safe passage following initial negotiations, and Bangladesh was recently established as a friendly nation by Iran.

Iraq, which has recently been increasingly overrun by Iran-backed militias, was also confirmed yesterday as a friendly nation by the Iranian government. The situation with Turkey remains restricted, as some ships have been allowed through but others have been held back, but the Turkish government remains confident in their relations with Iran.

Oman and Panama have also successfully sent tankers through the strait, but on a limited scale. France sent their first ship – though it was flagged under the nation of Malta – through the Strait of Hormuz yesterday, and they have requested talks with Iran. Japan also has dozens of ships waiting for entry, and the first went through on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump continues to claim that they can "easily" open up the strait, and they have given Iran yet another 48-hour ultimatum to do so. Iran, once again, has threatened to target all US military infrastructure in the region if their own infrastructure is attacked, further raising the stakes in the conflict.

However, the fact that negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz are taking place – especially with longtime US allies like France and Japan – means that the world is beginning to move away from the US and Israel, shifting towards Iran during a time of crisis where supply chains have been throttled all over the world.

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Image credit to AFP