Iran and the United States are making competing claims over who controls the Strait of Hormuz, adding uncertainty over the future of one of the world’s most important energy shipping routes.
An Iranian military official said Thursday that the strategic waterway is under Iran’s control and management, one day after President Donald Trump said the United States has total control of the strait.
The conflicting claims come as shipping through the narrow passage remains severely disrupted by the continuing U.S.-Iran conflict.
Before the war, about one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas shipments traveled through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran effectively closed the waterway after U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran began Feb. 28.
The United States subsequently imposed a naval blockade on Iranian shipping and ports while maintaining that it would protect vessels traveling to and from non-Iranian ports.
Washington and Tehran reached an interim agreement in June that called for a permanent ceasefire and the restoration of freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf. That agreement unraveled weeks later after Iran resumed limited attacks against vessels it said were violating the deal.
The United States then resumed strikes against Iran’s southern provinces, saying the attacks were intended to reduce Iran’s ability to target ships.
Iranian officials said Thursday that the country will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz unless the United States fulfills its obligations under the interim agreement. Tehran maintains that Washington cannot reopen the waterway unilaterally.
The continuing dispute has implications well beyond the region. Prolonged restrictions on shipping through Hormuz could affect global oil and natural gas supplies, transportation costs and energy prices as the two countries remain divided over both control of the waterway and conditions for fully reopening it.
Source: Reuters