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Oil tankers and other vessels seeking to transit the Strait of Hormuz must liaise with the Iranian military to ensure their safe passage, the country\u2019s deputy foreign minister told ITV in a television interview.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach tanker and vessel should make necessary arrangements with Iranian authorities to securely pass,\u201d Saeed Khatibzadeh said. There are \u201ctechnical restraints\u201d resulting from the conflict, such as mines, that require caution, he added.<\/p>\n
Exclusive: Iran\u2019s Deputy Foreign Minister @SKhatibzadeh tells me for @itvnews the Strait of Hormuz is open to all civilian shipping and reports it is closed are wrong. However, due to mines as a consequence of the war, all vessels need to liaise with Iran to be guided along safe\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/CEKkGHEaev<\/p>\n
\u2014 Emma Murphy (@emmamurphyitv) April 9, 2026<\/p>\n
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While President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the 14-day ceasefire between the US and Iran depends on the reopening of Hormuz \u2014 and Tehran agreed that transit is possible \u2014 shipping through the critical maritime chokepoint remains largely halted. Oil futures rebounded toward $99 a barrel in London on Thursday, after plunging more than 13% on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s claim that Hormuz is open to approved vessels was countered by Sultan Al Jaber, chief executive officer of Abu Dhabi National Oil Co \u201cConditional passage is not passage,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is control by another name.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even if Tehran implements the arrangement, it could run into practical difficulties, requiring the roughly 130 vessels that had typically crossed Hormuz before the conflict to contact Iran and receive its approval.<\/p>\n
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\u201cAll the ships that would like to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, they have to communicate with our army and our military,\u201d Khatibzadeh told ITV. \u201cAnybody who communicates with Iranian authorities has got permission.\u201d<\/p>\n
Iran broadcast to maritime traffic on Wednesday that its permission is required to transit the sea corridor. Tehran has been charging some carriers a toll of as much as $2 million to transit.<\/p>\n
Two fully laden Chinese oil tankers were waiting near the strait on Thursday, with a third on its way, putting them in a position to become the first such vessels to leave the Persian Gulf since the ceasefire began.<\/p>\n
\u00a9 2026 Bloomberg<\/p>\n