Meziesblog

The Iranian military’s joint command has released a statement on the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, state media reported.

Donald Trump had insisted yesterday the US would uphold its blockade of Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf despite Iran lifting its de facto closure of the key shipping lane, which is a key conduit for global oil exports.

A spokesperson of the Central Headquarters of Hazrat Khatam al-Anbiya said the key shipping lane would “return to its previous state” of strict control due to the US refusing to lift its blockade.

It’s unclear for the moment whether this means the strait will now be mostly closed again after traffic was seen picking up earlier this morning.

Here is the military statement in full:

“The Islamic Republic of Iran, following previous agreements in negotiations, has agreed in good faith to the managed passage of a limited number of oil tankers and commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz. 

“Unfortunately, the Americans… continue… the so-called blockade.

“For this reason, control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state, and this strategic strait is under the strict management and control of the armed forces.”

“As long as the United States does not end the complete freedom of passage of vessels from Iran to destination and from destination to Iran, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will remain under strict control and in its previous state.”

Foreign secretary calls for full restoration of shipping through Strait of Hormuz

While we’ve seen earlier that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is slowly picking up, the UK foreign secretary has urged Iran to allow global shipping to resume fully in the shipping lane.

“We are ⁠at a critical ⁠diplomatic moment with a ceasefire ‌now in place,” Yvette Cooper told Reuters on the sidelines of a diplomatic forum in Turkey.  

“But we don’t yet have ‌normal passage through the strait.”

The foreign secretary said the truce needed to ​develop into a lasting ⁠peace and that restoring shipping through ⁠the waterway was ​urgent for the global economy.