The Wall Street Journal said that Iran has told mediators in negotiations with the United States that it will limit the number of ships that can pass through the Strait of Hormuz as part of the ceasefire agreement to ten ships.
The Iranian Navy warned ships anchored in the area that they would be able to cross the strait after obtaining permission from Tehran.
“If any ship attempts to pass without permission, [оно] “It will be destroyed,” naval representatives said (journalists received a recording of marine radio traffic from a crew member of an unnamed ship).
Earlier, the Financial Times wrote that Iran would ask ships passing through the strait to pay one dollar for every barrel of oil transported. It is proposed to pay for the traffic in cryptocurrency.
According to S&P Global Market Intelligence, through April 8, only four ships were allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz (for comparison: the day before the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran, more than 100 ships passed through the Strait). Iran suspended oil tanker movements late Wednesday in response to Israeli raids on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.
During the weeks of war, Iran charged some ships $1 million in fees to pass through the strait, the Wall Street Journal reported. According to the publication, about 250 ships agreed to pay these fees. Most of the Iranian ships and tankers of the Shadow Fleet passed through the strait.
The Strait of Hormuz is a sea route of strategic importance, and about 20% of the world’s oil produced in Kuwait, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia passes through it. The Strait also supplies liquefied natural gas to Asian markets, especially China, India and Japan. Opening the Strait of Hormuz became one of the conditions of the temporary ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran.
More than 425 oil and fuel tankers and about 20 ships carrying liquefied natural gas are waiting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.