Iran has said it is allowing ships from certain countries to pass through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, even as the key global oil shipping route remains effectively closed amid ongoing tensions with the United States and Israel.
Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said some countries had approached Tehran seeking permission to cross the strait and Iran had cooperated with them.
“Some countries have already talked to us about passing the strait and we have cooperated with them,” Takht-Ravanchi said during an interview with AFP in Tehran.
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However, he warned that nations involved in what Iran calls aggression against it should not expect the same treatment.
“As far as Iran is concerned, we feel that those countries that joined the aggression should not benefit from safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.
Takht-Ravanchi also dismissed allegations that Iran is laying naval mines in the crucial waterway, rejecting claims made by US President Donald Trump that American forces had struck 28 Iranian minelaying vessels.
“Not at all. This is not true,” he said when asked about reports that Iran had placed mines in the strait.
The deputy foreign minister added that Iran's priority is to ensure that the country does not face another imposed war in the future.
“We want to see that war is not going to be imposed again on Iran,” he said, referring to hostilities that began last June.
According to Takht-Ravanchi, the fighting paused after 12 days with what he described as a cessation of hostilities, but tensions resurfaced months later.
“After eight or nine months, they regrouped and they did it again,” he said.
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