Not even 24 hours. The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz announced this Friday by Iran has had a short, almost ephemeral life. The Iranian authorities, through which around a fifth of the oil and liquefied natural gas consumed by the world transits. The measure, they argue, is a direct response to the , which practically disables Iran’s maritime trade, both inbound and outbound.
“Control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state and this strategic route is under strict management and control by the Armed Forces,” Iranian Lieutenant Colonel Ebrahim Zolfagari announced this Saturday, in a statement collected by the official Tasnim agency.
On Friday, Tehran had announced the reopening of the strait while the ceasefire with the United States lasted, although shortly afterwards it clarified that this would be “limited and managed” by the Revolutionary Guard and that it was a “gesture of good faith”, a direct consequence of , and framed in the negotiations that will possibly be resumed in the coming days in Islamabad (Pakistan), as reported by and . An appointment from which it is expected, at least, the extension of the cessation of hostilities between the US, Israel and Iran, which .
Despite initially greeting and celebrating the “complete reopening” of Hormuz – “it is a BRILLIANT, GREAT DAY FOR THE WORLD”, he even wrote on his social network, Truth – of the maritime passage. The markets partially reduced the initial euphoria, which had caused oil and gas prices to plummet. That decision to maintain the American lock has been what, according to the Revolutionary Guard, has caused the Iranian retreat.
“As long as the United States does not restore, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will remain under rigorous control,” Lieutenant Colonel Zolfagari argued this Saturday.
A few hours earlier, the powerful president of the Iranian Parliament, Mohamad Baqer Qalibaf, had already warned on the American social network
“With these lies they did not win the war and, without a doubt, they will not achieve anything in the negotiations either,” added Qalibaf, leading the delegation sent by his country to Islamabad for the latest peace negotiations. Transit through this maritime corridor, he added, will be carried out according to “designated routes” and with “authorization from Iran.”
many doubts
In reality, neither the shipping companies nor the ship insurers – a key actor: without their approval they cannot sail – had accepted the reopening, fearing a reverse or, simply, that the navigability conditions were still very far from those that existed before the start of the war, on February 28. The companies demand minimum security guarantees, that they will not find maritime mines in their path and that they will not have to pay any tolls. This last point did not seem far from clear either.
Maritime traffic monitoring platforms had detected a little more movement in the area in recent hours, especially from ships that have been waiting for weeks to be able to leave the Persian Gulf to reach the Indian Ocean. At least four oil tankers have achieved this, according to the information provided to EL PAÍS by the specialized firm. Five other methane tankers (ships that transport natural gas) flying the Qatari flag were also trying to head out.
The general attempt to exit, however, seems to have been aborted hours later, with some oil tankers, including two with the Indian and Greek flags, reversing their maneuvers. One more example of the distrust regarding a supposed reopening that, shortly after, has once again fallen into disrepair.
