Iran has launched a mandatory new transit protocol for vessels crossing the Strait of Hormuz, requiring ships to obtain permits and follow IRGC-designated corridors, even as President Masoud Pezeshkian dismissed US conditions for reopening the waterway as 'unrealistic'.
How Iran's New Permit System Works?
Iran has officially launched a new mechanism for governing maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iran's state-run Press TV. Vessels intending to transit the strait will receive an email from the Persian Gulf Strait Authority outlining rules and regulations for passage, and ships are required to adjust their operations and obtain a transit permit before crossing.
The IRGC Navy warned all vessels intending to transit the strait that the only safe route for passage is the corridor previously announced by the Islamic Republic of Iran — a direct counter to a US-led Joint Maritime Information Center advisory directing ships through Oman's waters, which Iran rejected.
Why The Timing Matters?
The Protocol system comes at potentially critical point as President Trump launched Operation 'Project Freedom', a US Navy mission to escort neutral ships out of the Gulf, which he paused briefly on Wednesday, signalling Iran deal.
US Central Command said two US-flagged merchant vessels had successfully transited through the strait "as a first step" in Trump's new mission, with 15,000 service members, guided-missile destroyers, and over 100 land and sea-based aircraft involved in the operation.
Iran's state broadcaster IRIB flatly denied this, saying "no commercial vessels or oil tankers have passed through the Strait of Hormuz in recent hours" and that "claims made by US officials are baseless and entirely false."
Iran Denies Any Attack On UAE
Pezeshkian is said to have called the approach of escalating tensions with neighbouring countries "madness," warning of potentially irreversible consequences. Iran's military, meanwhile, denied to Fars news that any attacks on the UAE had taken place at all.
President Pezeshkian reportedly described the IRGC's missile and drone strikes on the UAE as "completely irresponsible," with sources telling Iran International the attacks had been carried out without the government's knowledge or coordination.
Whereas, Iran's main military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said the country's armed forces have carried out no missile or drone operation against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the past days, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.
Headquarters spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari made the announcement, stressing that if Iran had taken such actions, "we would announce it decisively and explicitly."
He rejected a report by the UAE that accused Iran of launching drone and missile attacks against the country, calling on the UAE's officials and statesmen not to let their country fall into the trap laid by the United States and Israel.
ALSO READ: Trump Pauses 'Project Freedom' In Hormuz, Signals Great Progress Toward Iran Deal
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