Iran’s Deputy Speaker of Parliament Hamid-Reza Haji Babaei announced today that the country’s central bank has received its first revenue from the Strait of Hormuz toll system, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.
Last month, the Security Committee of the Iranian Parliament approved a transit through the strait, which generated a strong international reaction, including from experts in maritime law and American authorities.
“In addition to being illegal, it is unacceptable, it is dangerous for the world and,” declared American Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the time, referring to Tehran’s attempts to establish a toll system.
Flow through this important waterway, which normally passes through a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas, remains severely reduced amid the US naval blockade of Iranian ports and recent attacks and seizures of ships in the region.
Tehran has previously declared that Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz is a condition for ending the war.
The country’s Parliament and Supreme National Security Council are currently reviewing a plan to assert sovereign control over the waterway, a member of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission told the semi-official Mehr news agency today.
However, Pentagon officials briefed lawmakers this week on an intelligence assessment that concluded that complete removal of mines from the strait after the end of the war with Iran, according to information from the CNN.
Understand the situation in the region
Iran, strengthening its control over the strategic waterway after US President Donald Trump announced an indefinite suspension of attacks, extending the ceasefire but leaving no sign of a resumption of peace talks.
The status of the two-week ceasefire, which was set to expire early this week, remained uncertain. In a sharp change of position, hours after threatening to resume violence, Trump made what appeared to be a unilateral announcement on Tuesday (21) that the US would extend the ceasefire until an Iranian proposal to end the two-month war was discussed in peace talks.
However, Iranian officials did not claim to have agreed to any and criticized Trump’s decision to maintain the US naval blockade of Iranian maritime trade, considered by Iran to be an act of war.
Iranian Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said a complete ceasefire would only make sense if the blockade was lifted.
