War in the Middle East: Iran prepares a law so that its army has authority over the Strait of Hormuz

A 33 km corridor with major challenges. Iran believes its army should have authority over the Strait of Hormuz under a proposed law, a senior official said Monday.

Ebrahim Azizi, president of the Parliament committee on national security, responsible for examining the text, specified on state television that the armed forces would control the strait to, in particular, prohibit the passage of “hostile ships”.

The project also provides for passage fees to be paid in the local currency, the Iranian rial.

20% of world oil

Usually, almost 20% of the world’s oil and gas passes through the Strait of Hormuz. But since the start of the war in the Middle East launched on February 28 by Israel and the United States, this sea route has been blocked.

On the one hand, Washington, deployed at the exit of the strait, has imposed a blockade on ships leaving or joining Iranian ports since April 12. On the other, Tehran almost completely blocks the strait.

The Strait of Hormuz has thus emerged as the major point of tension in the negotiations between Iran and the United States to end the war in the Middle East. On Saturday, a meeting between the two sides was scheduled in Islamabad, Pakistan, for a new round of talks. A meeting ultimately aborted at the last moment.

Visiting Russia on Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that “the security of passage through the Strait of Hormuz is an important global issue.”