- Iran allows friendly nations like China, Russia, and India to cross the Strait of Hormuz
- India seeks safe passage for energy and fertilizer supplies via the Strait of Hormuz
- Iran demands sovereignty over the Strait and rejects US-backed ceasefire proposals
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said "friendly nations" including China, Russia, and India have been allowed to cross the narrow Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing conflict in the Persian Gulf region.
"We permitted passage through the Strait of Hormuz for friendly nations including China, Russia, India, Iraq, and Pakistan," Araghchi said. The remark was posted late Wednesday on the X account of the Consulate General of Iran in Mumbai.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar have spoken to their Iranian counterparts several times since the outbreak of the war on Feb. 28. New Delhi has sought safe passage of energy and fertilizer supplies via ships and tankers from the Gulf via the narrow strait that has been virtually blocked by Iran in retaliation to US and Israeli aggression.
Washington has pushed allies to deploy naval missions to Hormuz to deter Iranian activities and conducted strikes against military targets near the shoreline. Oman lies on the other side of the strait.
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Sovereignty Over Hormuz
Iran on Wednesday made it clear that it will end the ongoing war only on its own timeline and conditions, dismissing a US-backed proposal as inadequate and disconnected from ground realities. Tehran has called for a comprehensive end to hostilities across all fronts, including allied resistance groups in the region, while insisting that its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz be formally recognised as a legal right and a guarantee of compliance by the opposing side.
The Trump administration had offered a 15-point ceasefire plan to Iran. The plan was reportedly submitted to Iran by intermediaries from Pakistan, who have offered to host renewed negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
A senior political-security official told Press TV today that these conditions are separate from the demands Iran presented to the other side during the second round of negotiations in Geneva.
Besides, the Iranian parliament is working on a draft bill to charge a fee in exchange for providing security to ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, according to the semi-official Fars news agency. The plan is expected to be finalized next week, the agency said, citing an unnamed lawmaker.
"We are pursuing a proposal in which Iran's sovereignty, control, and oversight in the Strait of Hormuz are formally recognized in law, and through the collection of tolls, a source of revenue is also created for the country,” Fars cited the lawmaker as saying.
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