Tehran: Despite US President Donald Trump’s claim that he had lifted a naval blockade on Iran, Iranian ships are still being barred from passing through the Strait of Hormuz, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
Citing Iranian sailors, the report said the restrictions remain in place and vessels continue to receive warnings from US Central Command not to enter the area.
Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Friday that the US naval blockade “will now be lifted.”
In the same post, he outlined conditions for a possible deal with Iran, saying Tehran must agree never to obtain a nuclear weapon. He also said the Strait of Hormuz should be “immediately open,” with unrestricted shipping in both directions, and that any water mines would be removed, Xinhua news agency reported.
Trump added that Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles would be located, in coordination with Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency, and destroyed.
Iran has said nuclear issues are not part of the current stage of talks.
Iran’s main military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said on Saturday the Iranian armed forces are exercising management over the Strait of Hormuz with full authority, the official news agency IRNA reported.
Making the remarks in a statement, the headquarters stressed that for passage through the waterway, all vessels, including commercial ships and oil tankers, are required to solely travel through the routes designated by Iran and obtain permission from the Navy of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC).
Meanwhile, the IRGC’s Navy said Saturday that 20 vessels crossed the strait within the past 24 hours in coordination with its forces and Iran’s maritime authorities, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.
Fars quoted officials of the IRGC’s Navy as saying that the vessels were granted permission to pass through the strait owing to their countries’ needs for commodities such as chemical fertilizers.
Iran tightened control over the Strait of Hormuz on February 28, restricting passage for vessels linked to Israel and the United States after joint strikes on Iranian territory. The United States has also maintained naval restrictions in the strait, limiting traffic to and from Iranian ports.
(IANS)
