Any ship passing Strait of Hormuz must obtain approval: IRGC Navy chief

The commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Naval Force says any vessel seeking to sail through the Strait of Hormuz must obtain Iran’s approval; otherwise, it could become a target of Iranian attacks.

“The commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Naval Force says any vessel seeking to sail through the Strait of Hormuz must obtain Iran’s approval; otherwise, it could become a target of Iranian attacks”

PressTV

In a post on his X account on Wednesday, Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri said that two ships that had ignored Iran’s warnings were targeted in the Strait earlier that day.

PressTV

Tangsiri ridiculed the US government’s pledges to escort and protect vessels transiting the waterway, calling them “hollow promises.”

He wrote: “Were the ships assured of safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz? This should be asked of the crews of the vessels Express Rome and Mayuree Naree, who today, trusting in empty promises, ignored the warnings and intended to cross the Strait, but were caught.”

PressTV

He added, “Any vessel intending to pass must obtain permission from Iran.”

Iran has intensified its restrictions on the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz amid an ongoing US-Israeli war of aggression against the country.

“The commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Naval Force says any vessel seeking to sail through the Strait of Hormuz must obtain Iran’s approval; otherwise, it could become a target of Iranian attacks”

PressTV

Authorities have indicated that the Strait, through which nearly one-fifth of global oil passed before the war, remains open and that vessels not serving the interests of the United States and Israel can sail through safely.

The restrictions have led to a significant rise in global energy and commodity prices, with experts suggesting that the impact could escalate to historic levels if the confrontation continues.

This comes as Washington has failed to provide escorts to vessels seeking to transit the waterway, despite earlier pledges to do so as part of efforts to restore market confidence.

A Wednesday report by The Wall Street Journal said that Iran has managed to transport more oil through the Strait of Hormuz despite a sharp decline in shipments by other oil giants in the Persian Gulf.

The report noted that tankers have loaded an average of 2.1 million barrels of Iranian oil per day, higher than the 2 million barrels per day Iran exported in February.

PressTV

Citing data from tanker tracking service Kpler, the report showed that seven tankers have loaded oil off the Iranian coast since the war began on February 28, with at least two of the most recent loadings now safely sailing out of the Persian Gulf.