Tehran has granted permission for some Iraqi oil tankers to pass through the strategic Strait of Hormuz after repeated requests from Baghdad, state media reported Saturday.
“Despite being subjected to the most severe military measures and insecurity created in the strait due to the hostile actions of the United States, Tehran has granted permission to a number of Iraqi oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz over the past six months,” the IRNA news agency said.
The report said Iraq had requested passage for its oil tankers through several channels, including during the trip to Iraq by Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliamentary speaker and its lead negotiator in talks with the US.
Iran has asserted control of Hormuz, a vital waterway, since the outbreak of the war in the Middle East on February 28. It requires vessels to obtain permission and pay transit fees before using the waterway.
But US President Donald Trump claims Washington “has total control” over the strait, through which around one fifth of the world’s oil and LNG exports passed before the war, and views it “as an American territory.”
“The experience of the past six months has shown that there is no alternative for Iraq other than the Strait of Hormuz to export the bulk of its crude oil,” IRNA said.
It added that Iraqi officials are constantly asking Iranian authorities to grant more permits of their tankers.
Iran and Oman have been in talks to establish a new route through the strait, which controls the entrance to the Gulf and separates their two countries, but negotiations have not yet been finalised.
Tehran, however, says even if the talks produce a new route, that would not on its own open the waterway unless the US meets Iran’s broader demands.
