Iran Allowing Some Countries To Use Strait Of Hormuz, Deputy Foreign Minister Says

Last Updated:March 12, 2026, 21:37 IST

Tehran said nations that "joined the aggression" should not benefit from safe passage.

Iran has allowed ships from certain countries to pass through the Strait of Hormuz even as the waterway remains effectively closed during its war with the United States and Israel, the country’s deputy foreign minister said.

“Some countries have already talked to us about passing the strait and we have cooperated with them," Majid Takht-Ravanchi told AFP, without identifying which countries had been granted passage.

The minister made clear that Tehran was applying a political test to determine who could use the waterway.

“As far as Iran is concerned, we feel that those countries that joined the aggression should not benefit from safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz," he said.

Read more: Iran’s Mojtaba Khamenei Orders Strait Of Hormuz Closed Amid War, Signals More Attacks On US

The statement suggests Iran is using selective access to the strait- through which approximately 20% of the world’s daily oil and gas supply normally flows- as a diplomatic lever, rewarding countries that have stayed neutral in the conflict while penalising those it regards as aligned with Washington and Jerusalem.

It comes as Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei sent a defiant message to Washington, calling for the Strait of Hormuz to remain closed and demanding that Gulf countries immediately shut all US military bases on their soil.

“Dear combatant brothers, the demand of the masses is the continuation of an effective and regret-inducing defence," Khamenei said.

Read more: Trump Says Iran ‘Welcome’ At FIFA World Cup But Questions If It Is ‘Appropriate’

The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed to commercial shipping since the US and Israeli offensive against Iran began on February 28, triggering a global energy crisis now in its 13th day. Countries across Asia and the Middle East have been scrambling to reroute supply chains and introduce emergency conservation measures in response to the disruption.

Iran’s willingness to negotiate individual passage arrangements with select nations adds a new dimension to the crisis, indicating that the closure is not absolute but contingent and that Tehran retains both the intent and the means to use the strait as a tool of foreign policy.

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