Strait of Hormuz access limited to Iran designated route with toll requirement and IRGC controlled passage for commercial vessels only

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17:20 / April 17

The announcement of the opening of the Strait of Hormuz has been made under completely specific conditions and in full coordination with the forces responsible for the matter, and it will practically be highly limited. This passage, which is contingent on the continued implementation of the ceasefire conditions, will have three conditions: First, the passage will take place along the route designated by Iran. Entry into the strait will be from the north of Larak Island and exit from the strait will be from the south of Larak, and in this way, the Strait of Hormuz will be fully transferred to Iran’s territorial waters. This is a historic, unprecedented, and enduring change in the Persian Gulf, ensuring Iran’s sovereignty over the strait forever. In this manner, Iran is in fact carrying out an unprecedented “rerouting” operation in the strait. The second condition, which is also mentioned in the foreign minister’s tweet, is that only “commercial” ships will have the right to pass through the strait. The determination of which ships are commercial will be up to Iran, and this will naturally exclude any vessels with connections to the enemy, thus making the passage practically limited by Iran’s determination and not free. Passing commercial vessels will also be required to pay Iran tolls for security provision. The third condition is that the passage will be carried out in coordination with Iran’s forces responsible for navigation in the strait, namely the IRGC Navy. Considering all these conditions together, passage through the strait will be limited, subject to toll payments, and managed by Iran—and this is precisely what Iran has been pursuing since the beginning of the war and is now imposing on America.