Iran grants safe Hormuz passage to India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Iraq amid conflict
text_fields
Tehran: Iran won't block ships from five "friendly" nations—including India—from the Strait of Hormuz, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced, even as it bars US, Israeli, and select Gulf vessels amid West Asia's escalating war.
Russia, China, Pakistan, and Iraq join India on the safe list for the vital energy chokepoint, which Iran hasn't fully closed.
In an Iranian state TV interview, Araghchi said: "There is no reason to allow the enemy to pass through the strait. We have permitted certain countries that we consider friendly to pass through; we allowed China, Russia, India, Iraq, and Pakistan to transit."
Adversaries get no such grace—US, Israel, and complicit Gulf states face restrictions.
Araghchi hailed Iran's grip on the waterway: After decades, Tehran proved skeptics wrong when it enforced a partial blockade, dismissed initially as a bluff, showcasing real regional clout.
(Inputs from IANS)