The Iranian government has allowed a number of foreign vessels to transit the Strait of Hormuz in recent days, with some reports stating that a one-month permit had been granted to certain ships. Once a conduit for much of the world’s oil supply, the strait was effectively closed by Tehran in response to US and Israeli attacks.
At least six Bangladeshi cargo ships and two Chinese vessels have reportedly passed through the key waterway this week, while Turkey’s Anadolu news agency noted that a one-month permit was issued for “certain vessels” on Wednesday, though offered few details about the move.
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed to a trickle since Washington and Tel Aviv launched their war on Iran in late February. Though some 129 vessels transited the strait each day between February 1 and 27, daily averages have since dropped by 95%, according to the UN’s Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Of nearly 300 commercial vessels that passed through the waterway between February 28 and March 31, nearly half carried no cargo, Anadolu reported. Just three carried crude oil, while another 32 were transporting other petroleum products and 20 carried liquefied petroleum gas.
Around one-fifth of the global oil supply previously passed through the Strait of Hormuz each year, making it one of the world’s most important commercial waterways. The ongoing US-Israeli war has rocked world oil markets, disrupting output and driving major price spikes.
However, Tehran has permitted the vessels of some nations to transit the strait. Last week, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi noted that ships from Russia, China, Iraq, India, and Pakistan had been allowed to pass in recent days, while Maritime Executive reported that vessels from Thailand, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and several other countries had “received agreements” to transit the strait. Ships flagged to the Marshall Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, and Liberia have also been permitted to pass, according to tracking data cited by Anadolu.
Throughout the war on Iran, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly demanded that the strait be reopened, threatening to bomb Tehran “back to the Stone Age” earlier on Wednesday.
Though Trump has also pressured US allies to assist with reopening the waterway, some have pushed back, with France’s deputy defense minister, Alice Rufo, insisting that NATO forces were “not meant to” carry out operations in the Strait of Hormuz, as that “would not respect international law.”
“Let me recall what NATO is: it is a military alliance concerned with the security of territories, of the Euro-Atlantic area,” Rufo said on Wednesday.
While the United Kingdom has allowed Washington to use some British airbases to launch strikes on Iran, other NATO allies have been more reluctant to get involved in Trump’s war, among them Spain, Italy, and Poland.
On Tuesday, Warsaw’s defense chief, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, stated that his country had “no plans” to relocate any Patriot air defense systems to the Middle East to assist the war effort, saying that “Poland’s security is an absolute priority.” The Italian government, meanwhile, has reportedly denied the use of an airbase in Sicily to US forces, while Spain has similarly barred American warplanes from using its bases or airspace to launch attacks on Iran, with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez slamming the war as “dangerous” and “unjustifiable.”
Will Porter is assistant news editor and book editor at the Libertarian Institute, and a regular contributor at Antiwar.com. Find more of his work at Consortium News and ZeroHedge.
